Behind Closed Doors
by HepburnHigh
Summary: Ginny lost her spark after the war and Harry doesn't help the situation at all. He is abusive verbally and later, physically towards her, causing the youngest Weasley to take drastic measures. Stuck with depression and bordering on the edge of alcoholism, she goes to a counseling group. There she runs into someone dealing with the same problems and a secret affair ensues. AU
1. Another Empty Bottle

_**A/N: Welcome to my new story! This is a story about Ginny and Draco having an affair after the war is over. The actuay time is about 5 months after the battle. I don't know how long it is going to be, I'm just letting it come out of my fingertips as it comes. M for later chapters.**_

_**I don't own anything in the world of Harry Potter…only the story line.**_

_**I hope you enjoy and review!**_

"Ginny! Did you move my navy dress shirt? I had it on the chair."

"I hung it up and put it in your closet so it wouldn't wrinkle."

"I told you not to move my things!"

The witch could hear her boyfriend shuffle through his garments before slamming the wardrobe door shut. He came stomping down the stairs, upset that he had another meeting at the Ministry. The angry tone in his voice was not surprising to the red head; he usually raised his voice at her. He came up to her and gave her a forced peck on the cheek and said a quick goodbye before walking to the kitchen of Grimmauld Place and flooing to the Ministry through the fireplace. She watched him go through the emerald flames and felt a small wave of relief at his absence.

The war had taken a serious toll on everyone who fought in it, but it especially affected Ginny and Harry's relationship. It seemed happy and healthy to everyone because that's how they portrayed it, but in reality, they were struggling. Harry was constantly gone, for one thing. When he wasn't testifying at death eater trials, he was being pressured by Kingsley to become an Auror. Harry wanted to be one, of course, but he needed to get his life figured out before he jumped into a full job. Newspapers, magazines, and the Daily Profit were always sending letters to him as well, begging him to give an interview or answer questions. He tried to brush them off or ignore them the best he could but he felt that, as the one that defeated the Dark Lord, he was obliged to give the citizens of the wizarding world even more closure. Meanwhile, Ginny was trying to keep up with the house and the constant gifts and letters that were streaming through their front door on a daily basis. It was absolutely astonishing how much money they had acquired, simply from letters, and while Harry and Ginny both felt it was excessive, it would be too much work to try and send it all back to its rightful owner. Instead, they created an account at Gringotts to help support their friends and family.

What really kept their relationship strained, however, was their inability to come to terms with the deaths that had happened due to the war. Ginny was always depressed or sad thinking about Fred. She had been so close to him; he had taught her how to fly. It felt like the solid rock that she had crumbled under her and now she was dangling to stay up. Her entire family was a wreck, especially George and her mum, so she thought that moving in with Harry at Grimmauld place would help her since she wasn't in the depressing atmosphere. Turns out it made things worse, because she needed to be with her family, but she stayed at Harry's place anyway to support him and be there for him. She had a hard time expressing her feelings to anyone and always kept them bottled up. She wasn't use to the idea of Voldemort actually being gone for good, so she was always watching her back when she was out and the paranoia was exhausting. Not only was she constantly emotionally spent, but she was always physically and mentally drained as well. The worst part was that Harry didn't seem to notice or if he did, he didn't acknowledge it. He was too busy running around with the weight of the world still on his shoulders. They figured that once the war was over, he would be able to just relax and enjoy life, but they were dead wrong. Since he had been the one to kill the Dark Lord, it seemed that the wizarding world expected him to rebuild everything for them. It was just too much.

The witch shuffled over to the cabinet and reached for the familiar glass bottle. She pulled out the almost empty firewhiskey and made a mental note to go grab some more while she was out running errands. She closed the wooden door and grabbed a crystal glass and poured out the rest of the alcohol. She took a swig and loved the burning feel that coursed through her as the liquid made its way down her throat. She wouldn't call herself an alcoholic, she was far from it, but sometimes a shot or two helped her get through the day. She put the glass in the sink and used her wandless magic to turn the faucet on and rinse out the cup. She discarded the empty fifth of whiskey before going upstairs and turning on the shower. She put her hand under the running water and waited until it was practically scolding hot. She rejected her worn nightgown and let it pool at her feet. She slowly stepped into the burning water and let her body heat up. She liked the shower because it was routine; the water was the same temperature, the showerhead permanently stayed put and the water hit her in the same spots. She ran her fingers through her long, fiery hair, and cried her eyes out. She cried for specific reasons unknown, but this always happened. She stood in the shower everyday and bawled the entire time.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The only person that Ginny revealed everything to was Hermione. They had made sure to keep their friendship strong, even through the stressful aftermath of the war, and met with each other at least twice a week. Hermione didn't have nearly as many problems as Ginny though. She was able to locate her parents in Australia and restore their lost memories. Sure, Fred meant something to her too, but she didn't lose any family members as a result of the war. Her relationship with Ron was a lot stronger as well. He never lashed out at her like Harry often did with Ginny, and they made sure to tell each other everyday that they loved each other. Harry said those words to her maybe three times a week at most. Ginny stepped outside the front door and closed her eyes before twisting into oblivion and apparating to the Burrow. She entered through the back down and was immediately wrapped into a bear hug by her mother.

"Gin. So good to see you dear."

"Thanks mum. Good to see you too."

Molly Weasley pulled away from her daughter and scurried to the kettle that was now screaming on the stovetop. With a flick of her wand the flame was diminished and the steam wafted through the cozy kitchen. She pulled out three teacups and poured the burning liquid into the cups. She handed a cup to her daughter before going to the bottom of the stairs to summon Hermione.

"Hermione dear! Ginny's here and the tea is hot!"

"On my down!"

The muffled reply came from somewhere high in the rafters but soon Ginny could hear the patter of Hermione coming down the old rickety stairs. The witch appeared from around the corner and attacked her friend with a bone-crushing hug. Ginny giggled a little, always finding the brunette's enthusiasm funny. She finally pulled away and gladly accepted the cup of steaming tea from Molly. The elder witch took her own cup and saucer and retreated to the nursery to work on a new sweater. Mrs. Weasley never sat in on Hermione and Ginny's conversations because the latter didn't want her too. Ginny knew that if she told her mother everything, she would constantly be worried about her, and her mother didn't need that in her life right now. The two witches sat down at the kitchen table and nursed their tea. Hermione took a small sip out of her's and set it back down before asking Ginny the usual questions.

"How are things?"

"The same."

"Are you still drinking?"

"Yes."

"Did you drink yesterday?"

"Yep."

"How much?"

"Five shots worth."

"That's two more than usual."

Ginny shrugged and took a swig of her tea, "Eh. I needed to finish the bottle."

"It's gone?"

"Yes ma'am."

Hermione let out an audible sigh and looked at the youngest Weasley. She worried about her deeply. Ginny had lost her spark after the war, but Hermione was the only one who really had noticed. Harry neglected to pay attention to his girlfriend like he should and the rest of the Weasley family was too busy planning for Fred's funeral. On top of it all, Teddy was now living in the Burrow where Mrs. Weasley could help raise the orphan. Most of the spare attention was given to the little tyke. Hermione reached over and took Ginny's hand in her own.

"Ginny, I think you need help. Professional help. Talking to me isn't enough."

"Hermione I'm fine-"

"Stop lying to yourself Gin!"

The red head shut her mouth as she watched Hermione pull something out of her back pocket. She took the folded parchment; it looked like some sort of poster, and unfolded it. She put in on the table and smoothed it out before handing it to her friend. As Ginny scanned the words, Hermione talked over any thoughts that were going through her head.

"It's a sort of counseling group. It's for people who have been severely affected by the war. They meet once a week and it's completely free. I think it would be good for you to see that you're not alone."

Ginny read over the information. The group met on Thursday nights in a small practice off of Diagon Alley. The witch gently folded the poster back up and slipped it into her robe pocket. She took another sip of her tea and looked back at her friend.

"Thanks Hermione. I'll think about it."

"Please do Ginny. I really think it'll help."

The youngest Weasley simply shrugged her shoulders and changed the subject.

_**A/N: I hope you liked the first update! Review please! **_


	2. Panic Attack

_**A/N: New chapter! Read and Review!**_

The poster that Hermione had given Ginny was now completely worn out from the red head unfolding it and refolding it so many times. She had read the information more than two dozen times but she was still unsure if she wanted to actually go or not. Was she really that depressed? Had she really drank too much over the last couple months? She honestly felt that people would look at her as if she were some sort of joke. She was the recognized Ginny Weasley, the girlfriend of the Chosen One and the girl that threw everything away to fight for him and the rest of the wizarding world. People looked up to her, and she new it. If she went into a counseling group, revealing all of her problems and anxiety, would people take her seriously? Would they look at her as someone who wanted attention since her boyfriend got more than her? She was so skeptical about the whole thing. She would be telling strangers her emotions, and she wasn't comfortable with that. Even more, what if there was someone there that she knew? An old school mate that she neglected to stay in contact with or a seriously injured friend that she had figured died in the battle? How would they look at her now? They would most likely laugh and talk about how the once fiery witch lost her edge and turned to alcohol for her problems. It was a sad story, tired and true.

This battle inside of her head raged on for the next two weeks. Whenever Harry left for days at a time, she downed another tall glass of fire whiskey or half a bottle of wine. She hated it, being alone, because she felt like it was her against the world. Sure, she had her family and Hermione, but there was something different about her now. The war had taken a part of her that she felt she could never retrieve. Simply put, she had lost her fire and her true desire to live. Don't mistake that for being suicidal, however, because she wasn't. She told herself she wasn't and that was good enough for her.

She finally decided to attend a class when she downed an entire bottle of champagne by herself one night and woke up with an absolutely terrible hangover. She finally recognized that she needed professional help. That Thursday she got dressed and ventured to Diagon Alley. She was terrified of what was going to happen, but she needed to do this for herself. And when was the last time that she actually put herself first?

She stood outside of the small little building, shaking. She was so nervous, in all honesty, more nervous than she had been at the start of the battle at Hogwarts. She looked up at the address and checked it in her head. Yep, this was the place. She willed herself to open the door as she gingerly reached for the knob. She pushed it open and had to squint at the bright lights that lied behind it. It was a light room, with soft beige walls and a hardwood floor. The building looked fairly new and in the center of the large room there were around thirty chairs that formed a circle. Ginny took one step in the building and let the door close behind her. There were about a dozen people already there, conversing with each other. There was a younger looking girl, about the same age as Ginny, with a terrible burn mark that covered half of her face and neck. She was beautiful, really, but Ginny couldn't look past the dark colors that scared her. She was talking to another young girl, but this one was had an eye patch covering her right eye. There was another boy there, this one a little older, with some serious claw marks on his legs, most likely from a werewolf. There was an elderly man sitting away from everyone else, hugging himself and rocking back and forth in his chair. As the witch studied everyone, she felt her anxiety kick into high gear. Seeing everyone, all bruised and scared from the war, made the flashbacks hit her in sharp jolts. She was back there, back in the courtyard, watching people die before her eyes. She shook her head to try and rid it of the terrible memories but they were there, all there, and clear as day. She looked to the left and saw Collin Creevey fall to the ground, the life vanishing from his eyes. There was another student, a girl from her third year Herbology class, dead at the end of the Killing Curse. Ginny started panting as the flashbacks took over her being. It seemed like a reality now and she wanted out. Her eyes darted back and fourth, trying to place herself in the beige room again. _'The war is over! Voldemort is dead! Harry killed him!_' But then she heard it, she heard the Dark Lord's voice in her head, telling her to hand over the boy that she loved or else she would be killed. It was too much for her as the panic attack rocked through her. She quickly darted out of the practice and apparated to Grimmauld Place as fast as she could.

She rushed into the house and immediately shot into the kitchen. She flung open cupboard doors and felt the panic in her peak as she struck out shelf after shelf. She wanted alcohol so badly. She wanted to vanish from this reality and live in a world where everything was good and she was happy. She wanted to become someone else. She finally checked under the sink and was elated to see an unopened bottle of red wine. She forced the cork out of it, not even surprised by her sudden surge of strength, and took a giant swig. She downed the bottle in a matter of minutes, taking breathes between gulps. The liquid coursed through her quickly as she kept repeating the motions. Drink, breathe in, breathe out, drink. She felt herself loosen up as the effects of the wine overtook her. She slowly calmed down, now in a drunken stupor, and feebly made her way to the great room. She found the couch; the now empty bottle still clutched in her hand, and slumped onto the navy fabric. She stayed there, perfectly still, and stared up at the spinning ceiling. She clutched her forehead, the full effects dominating her, before seeing nothing but black.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Hermione knew that Ginny was a responsible young woman, and that she could take care of herself, but she was extremely worried when the witch didn't show up the next day for one of their weekly meetings. One thing about Ginny, she was very routine, and she never missed their morning tea sessions. Hermione's brow was knit in a mixture of confusion and worry as she stepped outside of the Burrow and apparated to Grimmauld Place. She waited for the hidden complex to appear and walked briskly to the front door. She gave it a hard rap but got no response. She tried again, but there was nothing. Now freaking out, the witch whipped out her wand and pointed it at the door nob.

"Alohamora!"

Normally, it took a lot more than the simple spell to open the door, but Hermione had said it with such force that the knob twisted and the door flew open. She rushed inside the building and immediately spotted her friend passed out on the couch. She walked over to her, shaking her head in worry as she noticed the empty wine bottle on the floor. Ginny had drool dangling from mouth and her hair was in wild red knots. She had obviously had a rough, drunken night. Hermione lightly shook the girl's shoulders, trying to wake her up. Ginny made a moaning noise before opening her eyes. The room was bright from the morning sun and the witch immediately shot her hands to her eyes.

"Oi! Too bright!"

"You're hung over Gin."

"W-wha? No. Not."

"Wake up. I'm sick of this Ginny."

"I'm sorry, I thought my best friend was here, not my mum."

"Shut it. I'm the motherly figure in your life right now and you know it. Now get your arse up."

The red head reluctantly followed directions. She knew it was her fault that she had missed their morning get together and she might as well show Hermione some respect. The brunette went to the kitchen and started preparing a kettle of tea while Ginny straightened herself out. She moped into the downstairs bathroom and gawked at her appearance. She had dried drool on her chin, her hair was greasy and knotted, her face was splotchy from crying, and she had a wine stain on her blouse. In other words, she looked like an absolute mess; it was disgraceful. She quickly pulled her hair into a bun, washed her face clean, and ran upstairs to change her shirt. She came back down a moment later to find that the tea was already hot and poured. Hermione was leaning on the kitchen counter, looking disapprovingly at her friend. Ginny gladly accepted the cup from her and sat down for what would be an interrogation.

"Where's Harry?"

"In France."

"France? Why?"

"He had a conference with some high wizarding officials."

"When will he be back?" 

"In 2 days."

"Does he do this often? Leave for days at a time?"

"At least once every two weeks."

Hermione sighed and continued.

"Did you go to that group therapy session?"

"Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"I went there, I was in the room, but I couldn't do it. I saw everyone there, with their battle wounds and scars, and went into a deep panic attack. I left as soon as I could."

"Tell me about your panic attack."

"I don't remember much of it. Just that I got terrible flashbacks. Next thing I know, I've drunk another bottle of wine and you're telling me to wake up. Gods my head is pounding."

She sipped the tea and took a deep breath, trying to get the oxygen flowing to her brain. Hermione tapped the side of her cup, making a subtle clinking noise, before joining Ginny at the table. She knew that Ginny was hung over, so she talked in a hushed tone.

"Ginny, if this last episode doesn't prove it, I don't know what does. You need help. You need to stay in those sessions. You just have to force yourself to."

"Hermione…that last anxiety attack that I had, it was terrible. One of the worst ones I have had in months. I don't know if I can-"

"You have to Gin. You have no other options."

Ginny took another swig of her tea, wishing it were firewhiskey.

_**A/N: Hope you like it so far! Review!**_


	3. Letting it Out

It took all of Ginny's courage to make her way back to the practice that following Thursday. She darted through the door and sped walked to the closest seat without making eye contact with anyone. She kept her head focused on her lap, knowing that seeing the victims would put her over the edge again. She took her purse and placed it under her chair before gripping the armrests. She had to stay, she promised Hermione she would, and she ultimately needed to do this for herself. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the chair. It was taking all of her will power to not stand up and get the Hell out of there. She concentrated on controlling her breathing and kept her mind busy by reciting old Quidditch statistics in her head. She could hear the noise of the room grow in volume as more people made their way to the chairs. She shut her eyes tightly and reassured herself, '_It's okay. These people, though they may be damaged, are okay. They lived. Voldemort is dead. Harry killed him. You're safe. There is no more war and there is no more fighting. Lift your head up and open your eyes. You're safe, you're safe, you're safe.' _She slowly brought her eyes up to regular level and opened them. There was a full circle of people now, ranging in all ages, but she soon realized that only about six of them actually had battle wounds. The other people looked completely healthy and normal, just like her. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Okay, maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.

An older woman came into the room through a back office and walked briskly to an open chair. She had a large clipboard in her hand with a huge stack of papers for note taking. She smiled at everyone before frowning at someone standing behind Ginny.

"Draco, please sit down so we can get started."

The witch whipped her head around to see the former schoolmate and deatheater staring intensely at her. Her eyes narrowed as her mind began to panic. _'Draco? REALLY! Of all people…and I was going to asked about my feelings. How could I possibly open up knowing that he was listening to every word? Why wasn't he in Azkaban anyway?' _She chewed on her bottom lip as Malfoy made his way to the last open seat in the circle. Ginny avoided eye contact and continued to stare at the therapist.

"Happy Thursday everyone! It looks like we have a few new people joining us today. For those of you who don't know, I am Dr. Bloomberg. For those of you who are joining us for the first time, I would like you to state your name and why you are here. Don't be afraid to let it all out, that is the point of this practice."

The witch nodded towards a middle-aged woman about five seats down from her, cuing her to introduce herself. The weary looking brunette slowly stood up and shot her hands into her coat pockets to keep them from shaking. Her voice was quiet and monotone.

"Hi. Uhm…my name is Margret Tolly. I'm here because the war made me clinically depressed and I need to stop hurting myself."

"Thank you for sharing Margret. And you?"

Next, a teenage boy rose from his seat. He ran his fingers through his long blonde hair and cleared his throat.

"I'm Michal and I'm here because during the war I was attacked by a werewolf and it has been nearly impossible to adjust."

The therapist smiled at him and he quickly sat down. "Nice to meet you Michal."

A very pregnant looking woman slowly stood up and gripped the side her chair for support. She placed a hand on her round stomach and flashed a meek smile.

"Hey. My name's Charleigh Storm. I'm here because…" She tilted her head back to try and force the tears from falling down her cheeks. "I'm here because my husband, and this baby's father," she patted her belly, "died in the war and quiet frankly…I don't know what to do anymore."

A single tear stained her cheek as she squatted on her seat. The therapist was scribbling away at her stack of parchment, taking notes on every new patient. Lastly, she lifted her head and nodded at Ginny. The red head stood up defiantly, refusing to look in Draco's direction, and talked very matter of factly.

"My name is Ginny Weasley and I am here because things have been very hard for me after the war and I've turned to alcohol for my problems."

There was a slight murmur as the patients heard her story. They all knew who she was and it surprised most of them that she had become this way. She sat back down and bowed her head before hearing someone snort.

"Life with the Chosen One isn't peaches and crème, eh Weaslette?"

She shot her head up and glared at Malfoy, wanting nothing more than to hex him into next year. Before she could even open her mouth to respond, Dr. Bloomberg was standing in between them.

"Remember why you are here; to better yourself and get healthier. This type of bickering doesn't help at all. If you don't have anything nice to say, shut your trap. That goes for both of you."

Ginny glared from Malfoy to the doctor. Seeing no use in wasting her energy on the git, she nodded her head and calmed down. The Slytherin crossed his arms over his chest and let out a huff like a toddler. Dr. Bloomberg smiled, pleased with herself, and returned to her seat in the circle. She put her clipboard on her lap and looked back at Ginny.

"Now, Ms. Weasley, we'll start off things with you. Why do you feel the way you do? What has made things so hard?"

"I don't know."

"Well you must know. Is there anything at all, some small detail, that you can share?"

"Well…okay. Uhm, well as most people know I'm dating Harry Potter. It's hard. He's always gone on business trips, answering questions, doing interviews, trying to help rebuild communities…he's never home. I don't get to see him that much and when I do see him, well, things are intense."

"Intense how?" Dr. Bloomberg was rapidly scribbling away on her parchment, trying to record every detail to Ginny's story.

"We're always fighting. Always. We can never have a normal conversation anymore. He…he doesn't show me any affection."

Draco cackled off to the side. "So you turned to alcohol because wonder boy isn't praising you all the time? Pathetic."

"NO! That's not it! I'm all alone! All the time!" Something inside the witch snapped and as soon as it did, there was no calming her. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes but didn't even bother to wipe them away. She was tired of holding all her emotions in and she could care less if Malfoy knew. "I'm all alone! Harry's always gone and I moved out of the Burrow because it's too damn depressing there! George and Ron are always working the joke shop, Hermione is constantly attending to her S.P.E.W stuff and my father is at the Ministry every day, all day. AND FRED IS DEAD! Fred is gone and I'll never see him again! Guess you wouldn't know that Draco; you're family made it out! MINE DIDN'T!" The tears were coming in waves now and she could feel the panic creep up. '_No! Oh Gods no! Not another panic attack!'_ It was too late though; she had worked herself up too much. She started gasping as the anxiety over took her. Dr. Bloomberg quickly set down her clipboard and rushed over to the witch. She took her and cradled her into her arms, the motherly traits in her shining through. She pet Ginny's fiery hair and rocked back and fourth.

"Shhh. It's okay. You're not alone, you're not alone."

Ginny just crumpled into her arms and let the pain wash over her as Draco watched wide-eyed. He hadn't seen this coming.


	4. Draco's Turn

After that complete mental breakdown at the practice, Ginny was anticipating the snide comments and taunts that she would surely receive from Malfoy. He had seen her in a state of weakness, which was extremely rare for the witch, and she knew that he would use the instance of vulnerably to his advantage. That was just how Draco was wired. She would continue to go to the class, however, because she really believed that exposing her problems like that was helping her. Granted, she still drank when she felt overwhelmed or scared, but instead of half the bottle, it was only two or three shots.

Harry was still constantly away doing God knows what, leaving Ginny alone with Kreacher on a daily basis. When he would come home for short periods of time, he was either yelling at her or ignoring her. Much to Ginny's surprise, however, during the lone night that Harry spent in Grimmauld place that week; they had been able to make love. Well, no, make 'love' was not the right word. They had sex. Sure, it felt amazing, especially since they hadn't done it in over a month and a half, but there wasn't the same fuzzy feeling inside Ginny's core that she use to have when they were intimate. It just felt as if something were off a little. Like they were going through the motions instead of really living in the moment. Still, it was nice to know that there was still some sort some sort of attraction coming from Harry's end because quite honestly, Ginny wasn't sure if there had been any left.

Hermione was quite surprised when Ginny had told her about Draco being at the meeting. Also notable was the fact that the doctor knew who he was and he had obviously been there before. Ginny just didn't understand why he was there. His father was alive, his mother was alive, and the man that had been controlling his family for so long was dead. They were free. They were finally able to do what they wanted without the constant threat of the world's darkest wizard killing them. That had to be the best thing to happen to them since…ever. To top it all off, Ginny knew for a fact that the Malfoy's had nothing short of a small fortune to their name. They weren't financially struggling like most people; they were living fat. What…little Draco didn't have anyone to listen to his petty problems? The red head just found the whole thing silly and unnecessary.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

It was a lot easier for Ginny to go back to the practice that following week. She had shown her ugly side already so she felt it couldn't get much worse from here.

She opened the door and easily walked to her seat. She felt some anxiety start to creep up but it was easily controllable. She sat there boldly with her shoulders back and her head held high. Draco came in moments after her and stomped to his seat. He turned in her direction and glared at the witch. It was obvious that he was upset that she had decided to come back. Reality check, she wasn't going anywhere and he needed to accept that. Dr. Bloomberg came in smiling and holding a giant mug of tea. She set down her clipboard and casually crossed her legs once she sat down. There were no new members today so they were going to get right down to business.

"Good morning everyone! Isn't it beautiful outside? Now, since no one new is joining us today…lets continue on our progress. Yes?"

She picked up her clipboard and flipped through all the patients' profiles. She finally found the record she was looking for and flipped back the rest so she could take notes.

"Mr. Malfoy, how about you start us off today?"

Ginny snickered to herself. She was finally going to figure out why Draco was here. She couldn't wait for the pity party to start. Draco cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. _'Splendid. Now Weaslette over there is going to figure out why I'm here. Just what I needed to start off my day.'_ He was really not looking forward to this. Dr. Bloomberg was patiently waiting for his response with her quill in hand.

"Well, I saw my father at Azkaban yesterday like you suggested."

"And how did that go?"

Ginny's facial expression immediately changed. She had completely forgotten that Draco's dad was in jail for life. Whoops.

"Okay, I guess. He still blames me for everything. He said that I was reason for the fall of the Dark Lord because I 'let' Harry take my wand back at the manor. And since that was the wand that Harry used to kill You-Know-Who with…well…yeah."

Ginny's jaw dropped as the doctor started scribbling away. She had no idea that Draco's father was that strict on him and pushed him down like that. Even worse, to go as far as to blame your own son, who is still a teenager, on the fall of the world's darkest wizard…well that's absolutely terrible. How could Mr. Malfoy possibly think that way and do that to his own son? It was mind-boggling. Draco looked down at his lap and continued.

"My mom is still depressed and on her medication but the exercises with her are getting better. She is more willing to go on walks and actually go outside of the manor now. It's baby steps, but it's still something."

"Good, good. And how about you? It is getting any easier to go out in public?"

Draco sighed, "No. I still get the stares, the boos, the hisses, the names… I'm trying to reassure them, tell them that I'm not like that, tell them that I'm not really a death eater. I never was one anyway. The only reason I was branded was because my father forced me to. It's still the same thing though. I still have the dark mark on me; I still have the name attached to me. I always will."

"People will learn to move on one day Draco-"

"When? I know the war only ended six months ago but really? I was cleared, BY THE MINISTER HIMSELF! Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head Auror, cleared me. Do people honestly believe that he would let me slide?"

"No, Draco, I think that some people believe that you're innocent…"

"I AM INNOCENT. I was never guilty! Truth be told, yes, I purposely let Potter take my wand! When my Aunt Bellatrix asked me to identify him, I tried to stall as long as possible even though I knew it was him! I NEVER WANTED TO FIGHT FOR VOLDEMORT. I wanted to fight against the death eaters! Why can't people understand that?"

The wizard was on his feet now, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. His face was red with rage and his knuckles were white from clenching his fists so tightly. Ginny watched it all in shock as his anger grew in intensity before her eyes. This information was too much for her. She felt absolutely terrible knowing that he was struggling as hard as he was and she simply thought he was craving attention this entire time.

"Draco, please sit down and take a deep breath-"

"NO! You know why my father hates me? Because I helped this bitch's boyfriend live!"

"DRACO MALFOY!" 

He pointed a slim finger at Ginny, who immediately went into defense mode. She stared at him, all sympathy that she had for him now fleeing her body.

"Don't you dare blame this on Harry! He didn't force your father to become a heartless git!"

Draco didn't say anything. He just stood there, staring at her, and shaking. He lowered his arm as a tear fell down his face and darted out of the practice without saying another word.


	5. Friends?

Ginny hated herself for thinking about Draco so much over the course of the week. She felt as if he didn't deserve this type of attention from her. She couldn't keep the old schoolmate out of her head though. Firstly, she was absolutely revolted at how easily she had always jumped to conclusions when it came to him and his loyalties. She had always figured that he was a death eater because he willingly wanted to be one, not because his controlling bastard of a father was forcing him. She had always known that Lucious Malfoy was a possessive man with a serious addiction for power, but she never knew that he was so heartless to the point where he would make his own son do his dirty work. That was literally the definition of a terrible father. Ginny then cursed herself for feeling sorry for the boy. Even though he was misunderstood, he still did terrible things to her and her friends. He was like a little pest that Ginny couldn't flick off her shoulder. The last thing the Gryffindor wanted to admit to was sympathizing for the boy who had bullied her all through school. But she couldn't hide it; the guilt was there and it wasn't going away.

She was having her usual morning tea with Hermione at the Burrow when the Malfoy heir was brought up in conversation. Hermione knew that Draco was in Ginny's therapy class, but she didn't know about his latest blow up.

"How was your second session?"

"Interesting."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, Draco had quite the blowup." She casually sipped her tea, but could see Hermione's shocked face through her peripherals.

"Really? About what?"

"About how his life has been going and his family. I'll tell ya, it's pretty messed up."

"Details Gin-"

"His father is in Azkaban…for life and his mother is clinically depressed. Turns out he never really wanted to be a death eater; his father made him. Oh, and his dad thinks that he is the reason the Dark Lord fell."

Hermione was silent, soaking in all the information. She didn't want to believe it, but it didn't really surprise her either. "That's-"

"Awful? Yeah, I know. Like, how could a father do that to his own son?"

"Really. Why does he think Draco is the reason Voldemort fell?"

"He accused Draco of letting Harry take his wand when they fought in the manor. You know, when Bellatrix, err, you know. Since that was the wand that Harry used to kill Voldemort, Lucious figured it all came back to his son."

"That's insane!"

"Well Draco confessed to it."

Hermione choked on the tea that was halfway down her throat. "What?"

"He confessed to it. He said that he purposely let Harry take his wand. He wanted Voldemort dead too."

Hermione's confusion and shock hung thick in the air. That last fact took her completely off guard and for the first time in a while, she was speechless. She remembered the manor incident in blurs. Granted, she was fighting to stay conscious the entire time, but she still was able to recall little details. One thing that she did specifically remember was Draco's inability to fight Harry or Ron. She found it strange that the boy who had hated the three of them for 6 years was unable to find the strength to hurt them. It all made sense now, in a weird and twisted way. He wasn't really trying to fight them. He wanted them to get away. He wanted them to live. He was always on their side…

"You should talk to him."

Now it was Ginny's turn to choke on her tea. The hot liquid went spewing all over the table and she whipped her mouth on the back of her hand.

"WHAT?"

"Talk to him Gin. It sounds like he needs a friend and since you-"

"A friend? Hermione, look, I understand that he's gone through a lot but I can't just forget everything that he did to me and become his friend! That's not going to happen."

"Just think about it. If you were in his position, wouldn't you like to know that you had someone that cared?"

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Ginny had gotten to the following session early so that she could put her purse down on the seat next to her so Draco had no where else to sit but right by her. She had played Hermione's words over and over in her head and couldn't help but agree with her. If she were in his situation, if she were being outcast by the entire wizarding world and her parents couldn't even love her…well, she would want someone there for her. She wouldn't care whom, just someone. So she was going to try and talk to him. She knew it was going to be like pulling teeth, and most likely start off terribly awkward, but there was no harm in trying, right?

Just as she had hoped, he showed up late, as usual. No one sat next to her, due to her purse, but she quickly removed it from the seat the second Draco walked through the door. He surveyed the circle, looking for the last open seat, and jumped a little when he found it. _'Next to her? Bloody Hell; this is going to be interesting.' _He walked over to the seat and sat down without saying anything to her. He didn't look at her either. He simply sat there with his hands crossed over his chest. Ginny took a deep breath. She just needed to break the ice. How hard was that?

"Hi."

Draco whipped his head around to look at her. Had she just greeted him?

"Uhm…hi."

"Listen, Draco, I understand that we're not friends-"

"Correct Weaslette."

Ginny gritted her teeth. This was taking all her will power to not strangle him. Why couldn't he just cooperate?

"But I really think we should put the past behind us. Maybe start with a clean slate?"

Draco raised one of his eyebrows. He had certainly not expected her to say that.

"Where is this coming from? And since when have you actually cared about me?"

"I just think that what you're going through is terrible. Sorry for trying to be supportive."

"Yeah well I don't need your damn pity party. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can Malfoy, I'm just saying. We should start over new. Who knows? Maybe we can help each other some how."

"Fat chance."

Dr. Bloomberg came strutting into the room with a chipper exterior as she plopped down onto her seat. She was smiling wide as she started off the session. Draco sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest again. Ginny couldn't help but feel a tad bit defeated. She had tried, at least. She had stuck her neck out there and let her guard down in front of him. He didn't even take the time to think about it. All of the sudden, Ginny had this sudden urge to help him, heal him. He may have turned down her offer today, but she was going to keep trying. She was going to keep trying until he agreed with her. She could be stubborn like that.


	6. A Rough Patch

"So today we are going to do a partner exercise. I want you all to pair up and find a spot in the room."

Dr. Bloomberg smiled at everyone, but not everyone was happy about this. Ginny turned to Draco and raised an eyebrow.

"Partners?"

Malfoy snorted at her, "Seriously?"

"Yes."

The blonde rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, "Why the Hell not?"

It was a small achievement for the witch. She had promised herself that she would continue to talk to the Slytherin. She was going to make him warm up to her and she didn't care if it took her weeks. She just wanted him to know that he wasn't alone in all this. Maybe it would help her too. They grabbed their chairs and moved towards one of the windows and faced each other. Draco still had that same pout on his face with his arms crossed over his pressed shirt. _'What a grouch.' _Dr. Bloomberg surveyed the group and continued with the directions when she saw everyone in pairs.

"Okay, this is a simple exercise named ten questions. The 'game' is self-explanatory; ask your partner questions about them. It can be about their past, why they are here, their family, friends, whatever. If they are uncomfortable with the question, they can say pass and you must think of a new one. Take turns until you've each answered ten questions. This is designed to help you get to know each other and come to terms with your problems. You may start!"

Ginny looked back at Draco and smirked. This was going to be interesting. She actually had so many things to ask him that she didn't even know where to start.

"Do you want me to begin?"

The wizard just stared at her.

"Okay, I guess that means yes. So, first question, do you still keep in touch with anyone from Hogwarts?"

"Ha. No. Not even Pansy."

"Whoa."

"Yeah well no one wants to be friends with a death eater anyway."

Ginny sighed. That was his first problem, obviously. He needed friends in his life.

"Your turn to ask."

"Okay. Are you really an alcoholic?"

"Well, I don't if I would consider myself a full blown alcoholic, but I do drink a lot."

"Huh. Never thought you'd walk on the wild side Weaslette."

"It's not the wild side _Malfoy_. It's a real problem that I'm trying to get over."

"Sure."

"My turn anyway. Question two, what's wrong with your mum, exactly?"

"She's depressed. My father is in Azkaban for life, her son is being exiled from society, and she can't go out either without people criticizing her for who she is. She just doesn't have the drive to live anymore."

"Wow. I'm really sorry about that Draco. No one deserves that."

"Like you really care."

"I do! You're still a kid Draco, whether you want to admit to it or not. It's sad to see someone so young going through something like that."

"Whatever. My turn. Why do you say that things are bad living with Potter?"

"He's always gone. He's either at press conferences answering questions or doing interviews or working with Kingsley on his Auror shit. When he does come home, it's for hours at most and he's always angry or yelling at me. I never see him, he never gives me the time of day, and I'm all alone all the time."

"What about Granger? Or your idiot brothers?"

"Hermione has her own life and Ron is completely consumed with Auror stuff right now anyway. The rest of my family is still grieving over Fred, especially George."

"It's been six months-"

"It's a family member! It will hurt forever!"

"Because you're all a bunch of saps."

"I guess you wouldn't understand, no one in your family died!"

"Actually, Weaslette, my aunt died."

"Your aunt was a stone cold murderer!"

"She was still family! And my parents might as well be dead. My father is shut in jail for life and my mother is suicidal! That's not much better!"

They sat there, staring at each other. Things had gotten heated fast but they were on a roll now. Might as well let it all out. Ginny sat back in her chair.

"My turn. Why the Hell do you hate me so much?" 

Draco snorted but didn't answer.

"Well?" 

He shook his head, staying silent.

"So, have you always hated me just because or is there a legitimate reason? You're acting like a toddler-"

"You have a perfect life! YOU HAVE A FAMILY THAT LOVES YOU. Your father isn't forcing you to live a certain way and your family isn't notorious for being 'evil.' You had siblings that you could turn to; you didn't grow up alone."

Ginny realized her jaw was dropped and quickly shut it. She had not expected the Slytherin to say anything along those lines at all. Draco quickly looked down towards his lap. He could feel the heat in his throat grow and the sting begin in his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do right now was cry in front of the witch.

"I always kept this cold front up because I felt that my family's reputation was the only thing I had. So, I acted like a bully. Soon it became my identity so I stayed at it."

Ginny instinctively reached for his hand but he quickly pulled it away.

"Don't touch me. Don't think that you're my friend. Don't think that you can make this better."

"I thought I'd try to-"

"Well don't. I don't need your filthy blood traitor hands on me."

"I thought you didn't believe in that kind of thing?"

"I don't know what I believe in anymore."

Ginny sat back in her chair and pulled her knees up to her chest. This was a side of Draco that she had never seen before. She looked up to see a lone tear streak his pale cheek. This kid, who had bullied and picked on kids for years, was just misunderstood and insecure. He kept looking at his shoes, refusing to make eye contact with the red head. He hated being weak. This was not something that he normally did. He did look up, however, when Ginny broke the silence.

"Your turn."

"What?"

"To ask a question…it's your turn."

"Oh. Uhm…" He had to think for a little bit. He had just gotten so worked up and his head was still spinning. "If things with Scarhead are so bad right now, why are you still with him?"

Ginny scrunched her forehead in confusion. She had never actually thought about that, mostly because she never pictured leaving him. She imagined them getting married and having kids. Course, that future didn't look too bright right now, did it? She thought over everything in her head and it seemed like the last 6 months came back in flashes. Things really were terrible with Harry, so why _hadn't_ she ended it? It was the question of the year.

"I don't know. I guess it's because…he's what I know. We've just worked so well together in the past that I feel as if this is just a rough patch. It'll get better. It just will."

'_We're just going through a rough patch. Yeah, that's what I'll keep telling myself.'_


	7. Moving Out and Moving On

"Harry, you are always gone! You are finally home for the weekend. Can we PLEASE not argue about this? I am tired. I just want to be with you…maybe cuddle up on the couch…"

"Damnit Gin! You just said it yourself! I am never home so when I am, I want you in my bed god Damnit!"

He was advancing on her, causing her to back up into the kitchen and press her back against the wooden counter. Harry was drunk, piss ass drunk actually, and wanting sex from Ginny. She wasn't having it though. She was exhausted and tired and wasn't in the mood. Her need to have Harry be intimate with her was draining by the seconds. He stood in front of her with both of his hands gripping the counter on either side of her.

"You'll do as I say."

"No."

"Ginevra…don't start with me."

"Don't call me by my full name, Harry. You don't have the right to."

"You're my damn girlfriend! I have the bloody right and you know it!"

He moved one of his hands over so he could grip her wrist. He wrapped his hand around with such force that Ginny winced with the unexpected pain. She tried yanking it away but he held on tight. He was much stronger when he was drunk because normally Ginny could hold her own against him.

"Harry…let me go."

"Give me what I want and I will."

"It doesn't work like that!"

"YES IT DOES!"

She used her free hand to push his chest. He stumbled backward in his drunken stupor and let go of her wrist. She made a mad dash for the fire place, desperate to floo away to the Burrow, but Harry caught her and grabbed her by the waist. She started kicking and flailing her arms, trying to get away.

"PUT ME DOWN HARRY!" 

"STOP BEING A BITCH!"

He carried her to the living room and slammed her onto the couch. He reared back his right hand and brought it down, making solid contact with her left cheek. The sting was instant and Ginny felt her eyes unwillingly watering up. He had just slapped her. Her boyfriend, and the man that she once use to be madly in love with, had laid his hands on her. He had abused her. Harry, even with being drunk, realized the severity of his action and got off of the witch.

"Ginny…I…I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry-"

He moved to her as soon as she stood up but she was in tears by now.

"N-no. Don't you dare touch me H-Harry Potter. I-I'm leaving and don't y-you dare try to s-stop me!"

She ran upstairs and grabbed the closest trunk she could spot before stuffing her clothes into it. She grabbed her toothbrush and comb and slammed some other things in it before finally grabbing her wand off the nightstand. She could hear Harry cursing himself and crying downstairs but she didn't care. She slammed the lid shut and clammed the locks, dragging the heavy trunk down the old stairs. She walked right past her boyfriend without saying anything to him and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"The Burrow!" 

She through the powder into the flames, watching them turn bright emerald green. She looked back one more time at Harry, seeing his shoulders shake as he continued to cry and sob. She stepped into the flames and was immediately whisked away to her old house, just happy to be away.

o.O.o

During the next couple of group therapy sessions, Dr. Bloomberg kept doing little games and partner exercises. Of course, Ginny always reached for Draco, determined to start new with him and be there for him. She felt even more desperate for a friend now too since she moved out of Grimmauld Place. He kept revealing more and more to her each week and she was sure that if he just had a friend in his life he would be so much more happier. Today they were assigned to go off in pairs, like usual. They had to take turns, naming one positive thing about their partner, and one thing that they could work on. Normally Ginny went first, but Draco started things off as soon as they faced their chairs towards each other.

"Alright Weaslette-"

"Please stop calling me that! How many times do I have to tell you to-"

"Fine! _Ginny. _One thing you can work on is your temper."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "That's valid. And?"

"And what?"

"You're suppose to say something positive about me too."

"Ah, right. Umm, you said you're barely drinking now. That's good."

"Yeah, yeah it is. Okay. So, one bad thing about you is that you're stubborn as Hell."

"Am not!"

Ginny raised her eyebrows at the wizard. "Example one. And one good thing…er… you at least will make conversation with me now. I like that."

Draco snorted. Why was she trying so hard to be his friend? Sure, he liked talking to her because it was nice to know someone else who was suffering from the bloody war, but he would never admit that to her. Besides, she wasn't a friend; an acquaintance was a better way to label it.

"Lets just keep the mushy shit to ourselves Weasle-Ginny and finish this damn exercise. Bad thing; you try too hard to change people. Good thing; you're a good listener."

"Okay…okay bad thing, you never leave your house other than for these therapy sessions. Good thing, you didn't tell Dr. Bloomberg the truth about my bruise when she drilled you about that. I still really appreciate that. I didn't really want to press charges."

It was true. Ginny had come to the next session after her fight with Harry with a nasty bruise on her cheek. Of course, Draco had immediately questioned her, wanting to know what it was from. He had promised her to not speak a word to anyone else about it so she told him the truth; she told him that Harry had hit her. The blonde reacted quite differently than she had expected, however. He got really angry with the Gryffindor, wanting to hurt him for laying a hand on her. Ginny had never seen the Slytherin so furious. Off course, Dr. Bloomberg had wanted to know why he was in such an uproar, but he wouldn't say the truth. He made up some stupid lie.

"Yeah, yeah. Calm your knickers Ginny. Okay…one thing you need to work on is your feelings. Seriously, I don't need you to go all mushy gushy in my all the time. But I do think that it's a good thing that you moved out of wherever you were with Potter and got away from him."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Jesus Ginny you always bitched about how terrible things were with him! You were so unhappy and you know it. Listen, I understand that you've been with Potter for a long time, and for Merlin's sake I don't understand why, but maybe you two just aren't meant to be like you thought you were. Maybe Potter isn't the one that's right for you."

"Jeez Draco. That's…deep. Especially coming from you."

"Yeah yeah just shut it. No need to repeating it. Lets keep doing this damn exercise."

But as they kept going, Ginny couldn't help but notice a slight blush creep into Draco's pale cheeks.


	8. Charlie Weasley

_**No Draco in this one. Sorry :( **_

Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table in the Burrow, surrounded by her family and loved ones. George was with Angelina, whom he had just started dating, Ron and Hermione were playing married couple in the corner, her mum and dad were cooking, and Charlie was trying to get her to get a job.

"I'm telling you sis, the Holyhead Harpies are looking for a Chaser. The coach told me herself that she is interested in you."

"If she's interested in me, why hasn't she contacted me personally?"

"Because she knows you're in therapy. She knows you need time."

"WHAT?" 

"Don't freak; it's not like it's some public thing Gin. I told her personally. Told her to wait until next season. But you would fit into that team easily. You're really good sis. You know that."

"I know it's just that I haven't played in a while and-"

She stopped talking when she heard the screech of an owl. There was a beautiful black barn owl flying through the air that landed professionally on the kitchen's open windowsill. Ginny recognized the owl at once. It was Harry's new owl, Zeus, that he had gotten a couple weeks after the war so he could easily keep in touch with the ministry. The house grew quiet as the realization sunk in. Everyone knew that it was Harry's owl, not just Ginny. When Ginny had come to the Burrow after Harry slapped her, with her eye swollen and her lip bleeding, her family immediately got in an uproar. It took everything Ginny had to convince George not to go and throttle him right on the spot. While Ron and Hermione were a lot more skeptical, being Harry's best friends and all, they did, however, know that the situation between the couple was unhealthy. Harry was almost completely cut off from the Weasley family aside from Mr. Weasley seeing him at work. But after Arthur had told Kingsley what had happened, the head Auror had made sure to never put Harry and Ron on the same mission, for fear of a fight or something else along those lines. Yes, there was a part of Ginny that felt terribly sorry for him. Harry had been an outcast his entire life, but this was the worst it had ever been. She knew that it was hard on him.

The witch slowly stood up and walked over to the owl, who had a sleek envelope in his mouth with a single word written on the front, '_Ginny.' _She grabbed for the note and the bird gently let go, dropping it in her hand.

"Thank you Zeus."

The bird hooted friendly before flapping off and flying in the direction of Grimmauld place. The entire company was dead silent as she slowly ripped the envelope and pulled out the parchment that was neatly folded inside. The letter was neatly written, and Ginny could see random splotch marks, most likely from Harry crying.

_Dearest Ginny, _

_ Every single night I stay up and cry because I know that I fucked everything up. I realize that this is my fault and I know that I was wrong to lay a hand on you. You didn't deserve any of that and I cannot say sorry enough. But please, please, just…can we talk? I just want to know what is happening between the two of us. I would completely understand if you never wanted to talk to me or see me again, but I love you. I love you with all of my heart and if there was any sliver of hope for us, I want to know. I want you in my life Ginny. Hell, I had planned on making you my wife one day. I just need to know, for my sanity mostly. Write back to me if you would like. If I don't get a response in a week's time, I'll assume that you never want to see me again. I love you Ginny, I really do._

_Harry_

The witch read the note several times before turning back to the rest of her family. Everyone was still quietly watching her, wanting to know what the letter said. Ron finally broke the tension.

"Well? What did he have to say?"

"I-he…"

But she was crying and couldn't control her emotions. She turned and sprinted up the stairs toward her bedroom with the note still clutched in her hand. The rest of the Weasleys looked at each other as they heard her bedroom door close with a loud slam. There was an awkward silence that followed as they debated whether or not to go and confront her. Finally Molly turned toward her eldest son.

"Charlie, she trust you the most right now."

"Okay mum."

Charlie stood up and took his time going up the stairs. He knew his sister well enough to give her some time. Ginny was a fucking fire cracker and she would go off on him if he didn't think this through. He finally was outside her door and could hear her sobbing into her pillow. Poor girl. She didn't deserve this. He slowly turned the doorknob, testing the waters. He opened the door all the way and stepped into her small room before shutting it behind him. She didn't flinch or even throw something at him. That was a good sign.

"Hey now Gin. No tears, yeah?"

He went and sat on the edge of her bed. She scooted over a little to give him more room. Another good sign. He slipped his hand under her shirt and started scratching her back. It wasn't anything romantic or even close to that; it was something that their mum had done for them whenever they were upset or scared and so they did it to each other when the time called for it. It had always especially worked for Ginny, who was fiery and loud as a child. The tears slowly faded away and she sighed deeply, riding herself of the last sob. She rolled over onto her side to face Charlie. He was smiling at her like a goon, making her laugh.

"Alright sis. What did that git say?"

"Don't call him that. He may have slapped me once, but he is still someone that I really care about. You know it's gonna take me time and-"

"I know, I know. Sorry."

"And this letter isn't making things any easier."

"Can I read it?"

"Yeah."

She pulled out the letter from under her side and handed it to her brother. He took it from her and quietly read it to himself. Ginny sat up and joined him on the edge of her bed, resting her head on his shoulder. She fought the growing urge to run down to the cabinet and down the fire whiskey in one fatal gulp. Her nerves were absolutely horrid right now but she knew that Charlie would calm her down. He just had that effect on her. He had finally finished the letter and dropped it on the floor, showing his feelings towards the writer.

"Those are some pretty strong words in that letter."

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one, he used the 'w' word."

"Wife?"

"Yeah. That's a pretty big deal little sis."

"I always knew about that though. We talked about getting married, Charlie. We were in love with each other. I mean, Gods, I understand that he hit me but I can't just get over someone that I was so deeply in love with over the course of a week or so. It's just too hard and-"

The tears were coming hard and fast again as the reality hit her once more. She always thought she was going to marry Harry. There was a time in her life where she would have hurt herself if he had broken up with her. Now, well now things were quite different, weren't they? She buried her head in her hands as her shoulders began to shake with a new wave of tears. She felt Charlie wrap his muscular arms around her and she fell effortlessly into his chest. This was so much harder on her than she ever let on and Charlie was witnessing that at the moment. He just wanted to somehow hold his sister and take all the pain away from her. If he could, he would gladly put it all on himself if that meant breaking her free from it. He stroked her fire head hair, quietly shushing her to calm her down.

"Things will get better sis. Things will get better and then you will find someone who will treat you right because that's what you deserve."


	9. Draco's Opinion

The battle inside of Ginny raged on as she decided whether to write Harry back or not. She loved him still, that much was clear, but she had no idea if she actually wanted to talk to him or keep him in her life. It was just causing her too much pain. She decided to get the opinion from someone who had heard everything, but wasn't emotionally connected to Harry like her family and Hermione were. She needed someone who had heard her story in detail.

"Huh. He used the word 'wife.'"

"YES! I know he used that bloody word!"

"Simmer down Ginny. I was just stating a fact. A pretty damn important one too if you ask me."

Draco quickly read through the note one more time before handing it back to the witch at the next therapy session. She folded it back up and gently placed it in her purse. The Slytherin watched as she made sure not to bend it or fold any of the corners in. He sniggered loudly which caused Ginny to perk her head up.

"What's so funny?"

"You're not fooling me."

"Fooling you about what? I'm not trying to fool you about anything. I genuinely need advice."

"No you don't. You've already made up your mind."

"What makes you say that?"

"By the way you just treated his letter. You folded it back perfectly and set it back into your bag as if it were your mum's will or something. C'mon Ginny. You want to talk to him and you know it. I just can't comprehend why."

"Can I ask you a serious question?"

"Nothing's stopped you before…"

"Have you ever been in love?"

Draco was use to Ginny asking him personal questions, but this one caught him off guard. Love? Did Draco Malfoy seem like someone who had ever been in love? Still, it did stick a cord with him. No, he had always been lonely. Sure, there had been Pansy Parkinson. But she had always liked him way more than he had liked her. The only reason he gave her the time of day was so that she would stop whining and he could get some action. Yeah, Pansy was easy like that. He looked back at Ginny, slightly embarrassed by his past love life.

"No, I haven't."

"Than you wouldn't understand. I was in love with Harry. Still am a little. I DID think I was going to marry him Draco. I thought I was going to become Mrs. Ginny Potter. Then this whole bloody war fucked that up. We weren't spending as much time together, we were both grieving the deaths of loved ones, and we were taking it out on each other. The fact that I started drinking didn't exactly help either…"

She suddenly felt the ball form in her throat and the sting of tears threaten her eyes. She knew that Harry was part of the blame for their now non-existent relationship, but Ginny felt like most of it was her fault. She should have never started drinking because that only made her temper worse than it already was. On top of that, she never tried to stop the arguing between her and Harry. The second he yelled at her, she yelled right back. She was a true Gryffindor; that was just in her nature. She hung her head as she fought the tears. She really did NOT want to cry in front of Malfoy. But what he said next really surprised her.

"Don't blame yourself."

"W-what?"

She perked her head up, her eyes red and puffy.

"You're blaming yourself. Stop."

"B-but…I…h-how-"

"Potter was the one that left you alone all the time when he knew you were going through a tough time. Potter was the one that would keep bringing home the brandy when he knew you were chugging it. Potter was the one that started the majority of the fights and arguments! POTTER WAS THE ONE THAT BLOODY SLAPPED YOU GINNY! Don't blame this on yourself!"

Her eyes were wide as she saw the red creep into his usually pale cheeks. It was obvious that he was getting upset with Harry just by talking about him. He settled down and took a few deep breaths before giving Ginny an apologetic look. He had grown to care about her as a human being, which he would NEVER admit to her, and seeing her act dumb like this was frustrating for him. He turned and looked at her to see her eyes filled with worry, curiosity, and uncertainty. She had never seen him care about her like this.

"Give me the letter."

"What?"

"Give me the bloody letter."

"Why?"

"You asked for my advice. You asked me what to do. I'm telling you what to do. Give me that damn letter."

The witch cautiously removed it from her bag and handed it over to Draco. In one swift movement, the wizard deftly ripped the letter into two before continuing to rip it until it was in tiny bits. Ginny gawked at him with hands to her mouth.

"DRACO!" 

"You're not writing him back. He put his hands on you, which is unforgivable. You're going to get over him, move on, and you are NOT going to talk to him. Period. There. I've just told you what to do."

He stood up and threw away the scraps of the letter before walking back and slumping down in his chair. He crossed his muscular arms over his brood chest, obviously showing that his decision was final. Ginny brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. In the very pit of her stomach, she knew that Draco was right. She would be stupid to go back to Harry. She needed to stand up for herself and decide what was best for HER. That, was obviously not Harry anymore. She looked over at Draco who was staring straight ahead and mumbling something under his breath.

"Thank you."

He snorted. "For what?"

"Helping me."

"Remember when I told you that you were too mushy?"

"Yeah."

"This is one of those times."

She laughed a little. "Shove off."

"What? I'm just stating the truth. You use to be so damn stubborn and fiery at school. What ever happened to THAT Ginny?"

She sighed. "The war happened."

And for once, Draco wholeheartedly agreed with her on something.


	10. Baby Steps

So Ginny didn't write back to Harry. It was possibly the hardest thing that she had to decide on in her life but Draco was ultimately right. She needed to stand up for herself and put her foot down. She got another letter from him that day after deadline to write him back. This one was short and to the point.

_I'm so sorry._

_I love you Ginny. Always have, always will. I'll always be here if you need me._

That was it. And it completely brought her to tears. But between Charlie always wanting to cheer her up, and Draco telling her she did the right thing, it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. It seemed like it was harder for Ron and Hermione, who were completely conflicted. Harry was their best friend, after all, and after the whole tiff died down, Ron was put back on the same Auror missions as Harry so he was forced to be around him again. Ron came back after a long weekend chasing down a Dark Wizard in Switzerland to tell them the state of Harry.

"I've never seen someone so…quiet. He's a bloody mess; it's really quite pathetic. He wouldn't talk to me or Auror Bradley about the plans and he only opened his mouth to say incantations. I'll tell you what though, he must be using his anger at himself to power his curses because I have never seen them so spot on before. He's like a lost, sick puppy. It's bloody dreadful."

Hermione was also very concerned with Harry's well being. And since Hermione wasn't bloody to Ginny, she felt even more obliged to help her best friend. Of course she thought that Harry hitting her was wrong and unforgivable…but it had been a couple of weeks now and it was obvious that he needed someone to be there for him. Ginny wasn't, by any means, holding her back from visiting him, but Hermione just felt guilty about doing it. But, after Ginny had told her multiple times that it was okay, she finally decided to floo over to Grimmauld Place. This first visit seemed to break the tension in the Burrow and Ron also went over to check up on his friend every once in a while. Ginny wasn't going to be with Harry anymore, that much was clear, but she didn't want him to be completely cut off from his friends and the people he loved. He just needed to be cut off from _her_.

Things at therapy were getting much better as well. Her bond with Draco, especially after the whole letter incident, was growing stronger by the week and they were able to have easy conversation now. They were even starting to joke around with each other about certain things, much to Dr. Bloomberg's pleasure. The witch's goal was to help all her patients love life again and to her it seemed that Ginny and Draco were making that happen for each other. Ginny, taking the greatest blind leap ever, decided that Draco needed to be seen in public again and get out of his manor. So, towards the end of one of the therapy sessions, she took a deep breath before diving in, head first.

"Draco, what are you doing after this is over?"

"Heading back to manor, like I usually do."

"Well how about we go into Diagon Alley and grab something to eat?"

Draco's entire body froze. "What are you playing at?"

"W-what do you mean? I'm not playing at anything-"

"You know I haven't been in public since the war!"

"I know. I-I just thought that it would be good for you. You're helping me get over my problems. This would help you get over some of yours. Please Draco? You need to get out. You can't hide from society forever. Look…it's almost been a year since the Dark Lord has fallen. People are moving on. You should too."

He stared at Ginny, trying to decide if she had any ulterior motives. Her eyes showed nothing but genuine concern for him. He had to admit, he DID need to get out but he wasn't sure if he was ready yet. And with _Ginny_? Sure, they had grown to become somewhat friends, but he wasn't sure how things would be between the two of them outside of therapy. If people say them together, which they most likely would, what would they say? Ginny and Harry's breakup was very personal and most of the wizarding world assumed that she was still with The Chosen One. What was he even saying? People might not even assume anything romantic was happening between the two of them. But if they did…would Draco even mind? Well…no… He shook his head, whipping the thought from his mind. _'No. Don't think about her like that. She just ended things with Scarhead. She's a Weasley, I'm a Malfoy. That's just…wrong.' _Draco looked back at Ginny to see that the witch was watching him carefully, waiting for his answer. He took a deep breath.

"Sure. I'll get something to eat. BUT…it needs to be a place where a lot of people won't be. Oh! And dim lighting. I really don't want to see anyone. Really."

Ginny squealed as she clapped her hands together. "YES!"

As soon as Dr. Bloomberg announced the end of the therapy session, Ginny jumped out of her seat and grabbed Draco's hand to heave him out of his seat. His entire body went stiff as he felt her hand inside of his. He internally cursed his body for reacting in such a drastic manner. It was just because he was a teenage boy. Nothing more.

The witch dragged him out of the building and went to walk down Diagon Alley when he suddenly planted himself where he stood. He should be Apparating home right now. His nerves were kicking in as Ginny turned to see why he had stopped. She could tell by the panic in his eyes that he was second guessing the entire thing.

"Draco?" She let go of his hand and took step closer to him. He gulped audibly.

"I can't do it." He said in barely a whisper and she had to take another step so she could hear him.

"Come again?"

"I can't do it."

"Why? Draco you're so close. It's just around the corner. Only ten more steps-"

"I can't do it Ginny. I'm not ready. People will whisper, point, gawk…"

"But I'll be with you the entire time. Please?"

She reached for his hand again but he pulled away, knowing the type of reaction his body would make. She looked genuinely hurt by his move. She looked into his gray eyes to see genuine fear. He wasn't ready. There was nothing she could do.

"Okay…okay. We don't have to go out. Maybe next week though?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

"Just think about it Draco. It would help you heal. It would help you move on." Then, under her breath, "it would help me move on too."

He sighed. He knew that Ginny needed him, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it right now.

"Just think about it?"

"I will."

"Okay."

And then Ginny did something that she had never done before. She hugged him. She took a step foreword and wrapped her arms around his neck. Draco stood there for a moment, frozen, before reacting to what had just happened and slowly encircled her waist. He brought her closer to him, making it a more intimate hug. He buried his face in her hair, sniffing her scent. She smelt like strawberries and freshly cut wood. It was, in all honesty, an intoxicating aroma for the wizard. He whispered in her ear before pulling away from her.

"Thank you Ginny…for caring."

And before she could even respond, he had pulled away and Apparated back to Malfoy Manor.


	11. Admitting

Draco didn't even say hello to his mother when he got back to the Manor. Normally he tried to talk to her about how the counseling went, but this time was different. This time he was upset at his body and upset at himself. He stomped up to his room and slammed the door behind him before throwing himself on his large king sized bed.

"GODS! Stupid Weasley! Why did she have to hug me?"

He grunted in frustration and stared up at the ceiling. No matter how hard he cursed the witch for making him feel this way, he couldn't let himself forget her arms around his neck and her scent filling his nostrils. She made his head spin and he had a slight feeling that it wasn't just because he was a horny teenage boy. In the past, when he had had sexual relations with women at Hogwarts, and he had a LOT of those, he had never felt anything like this. He pounded his fist on his emerald green comforter. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was supposed to hate her! He had made fun of her all through school, calling her family poor and teasing her about her stupid boyfriend, Scarhead. He had called her names to try and get in her head before Quidditch games, just so he could see Gryffindor lose. He never failed to tease her siblings as well…so why was he feeling this way towards her? Sure she was bloody gorgeous with her freckles that patterned under her dazzling eyes and her long red hair that was as fiery as her personality. And he didn't even need to mention her amazingly Quidditch toned body and her long legs and…

"DAMNIT!"

"Draco deary, is everything okay? You seem upset or-"

"I'm fine mum! Just let me be today!"

"O-okay."

He could hear his mother stay behind his closed door for a few moments before she walked away. He sighed deeply. This wasn't right. This was against everything he believed in. Well, ever since counseling, USE to believe in. He rolled over on top his side, muttering to herself.

"Damn you Ginny."

o.O.o

Ginny stood, rooted to the spot where she had hugged Draco. It was as if she had been petrified. Why had she done that? That was just…well…unexpected. She didn't even realize what she had done until Draco was hugging her back. And that was another thing. Why had he hugged her back? That was so…un-Draco like! Of course, it was very unlike herself to even hug him in the first place. And what was that rubbish that he whispered in her ear? What was it? He had told her _thank you_? Thank you for _caring_? She finally snapped out of her trance and shook her head. The worst part of it all? When he whispered that in her ear, shivers ran down her spine. Harry has been the only other one to give her the shivers like that and that was a while ago. This time it just felt...more intense, more…_real_. She turned and looked back at the door that they had just both walked out of. What the Hell had these therapy sessions done to her? Questioning her motives for hugging Draco and her sanity for reacting in the way she had, Ginny apparated back to the Burrow.

o.O.o

"Charlie? Can I talk to you, privately?"

Dinner was just winding down as some of the other Weasley children put their plates in the sink and started the night's after supper festivities. George and Ron were already heading back to the shabby Quidditch pitch to throw the Quaffle around while Hermione grabbed a book to read on the sidelines. Mrs. Weasley was setting to work with the dishes while Percy and Mr. Weasley began talking about things at the improving Ministry of Magic. Charlie looked at his little sister.

"Sure Gin. Lets go walk through the garden."

"Okay."

They each grabbed a lightweight cardigan before stepping out into the crisp fall air. Ginny quickly hugged herself tightly, feeling slightly exposed. They made their way to the Weasley family garden, now full of different squash and pumpkins. They slowed their pace once they had reached the garden gate and once inside, Ginny felt secure. There was something about Charlie that always made her feel safe. Maybe it was because he worked with dragons so Ginny knew he could handle her fire which was much more tame. He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets.

"So what did you want to tell me?"

She sighed deeply. She had no idea how Charlie would react to what she was about to say. "I…I'm in a situation that I don't know how to handle."

"This sounds like girl troubles sis."

"I can't go to Hermione or mum about this though. I need an unbiased opinion from someone who really knows me. That's you Charlie."

"Okay…okay. I'm hear for you."

She swallowed hard. "How long has it been since Harry hit me?"

"Almost a month. Why?"

"I just…Charlie…I…" She trailed off. She didn't even know how to put her thoughts into words and now that she thought about it, she just sounded stupid. "Never mind."

"No, no, no. We are not brushing this aside. We're already out here. Spit it out Gin."

She plunged foreword without even thinking. "I think I may be getting feelings for someone already."

Charlie slowed his pace down but didn't falter completely.

"It's someone you met in those therapy sessions, isn't it?"

"H-how did you know?"

"Well, you never go out in public. The only time you leave the house nowadays is for that. I just figured that that's where you would have met someone new."

"He isn't exactly…new. Well, okay, his attitude is new. His change in personality is new. But I've known him for years. He went to Hogwarts with me."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah. And actually, he has helped me a lot. He's the one who always made sure I was okay. He is one of the reasons I've stopped drinking." She lowered her voice a little, finally admitting something to herself. "He told me to leave Harry after everything that had happened. He is the reason I didn't write him back."

Now Charlie stopped. That had taken him off guard completely. Ginny took another step foreword before turning and facing her older. It was obvious by the look on his face that he just wanted to know who the Hell she was talking about. She looked at him through pleading eyes. She really did not want Charlie going off at her. He nodded at her, willing her to just spit it out.

"It's… it's Draco. Draco Malfoy."


	12. Tiffs and Truths

"WHO? WHAT? GINNY! DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? I-"

"Charlie please! Please just listen to me!"

His face was bright red, about the same color as his ginger hair. And Ginny thought he would be slightly unbiased…

"Please! I'm not even sure if they ARE feelings but I just know that something weird is happening between him and I and I don't know what to do! I mean, I think it's too early for me to even LOOK at men right now but Charlie… I just… I'm so confused."

Charlie groaned. He had seen Ginny have crushes on guys. He had seen her swoon over Michael Corner and drool over Dean Thomas. But whenever she second-guessed herself about a guy, like she did for a while with Harry, it was because she was afraid of the outcome. With Dean and Michael, she could have cared less about the future because she still liked Harry even while dating them. This wasn't like Dean and Michael. This was his sister, developing feelings for the slimy, scum ball Slytherin git…

"I just…I need you to help me out Charlie. I need you to be my friend right now, not my over protective brother."

"Okay," he took a step closer and wrapped his toned arms around her, totally encompassing her. "Why did you think you have feelings for him? I mean, could it be just…a misunderstanding?"

"I could, but I don't think it is."

"Okay…so what makes you think that you could possibly have feelings for this son of a bitch death eater who-"

"Former death eater. And the only reason he became one in the first place was because his father forced him to. He never wanted to be one. He just did it to obey and please his father. He's changed Charlie, he realty has."

They had started walking again and has reached the small weather worn bench at the far end of the garden. They sat down and Ginny looked down into her lap. This was all so hard for her to say and it was even harder knowing that her brother was judging her with every word she said. Nonetheless, she continued to explain herself.

"I just…we've really been helping each other get over our problems. We really have. And over the last couple months, we've put our old grudges behind and moved foreword. We're friends now. We tell each other our problems and we trust each other. He's really helped me and yesterday…I did something before he went home. I _hugged _him. I understand that that might not be that big of a deal to you, Charlie, but it is for me because I don't know what made me do it. It was like my body had a mind of its own and suddenly, my arms are around his neck. And the thing is, he hugged me back. And then he whispered in my ear. He thanked me for caring. You want to know what happened next? Shivers shot down my spine and I got butterflies…in my stomach. That's only happened once before. It happened with Harry and-"

"And look where the two of you ended up."

There was a long pause. Charlie was right. Look where she and Harry _had_ ended up: apart. She brought her knees up to her chest and leaned into Charlie, who wrapped his arm around her.

"Gin, it's not that I'm trying to get you to second guess yourself, or anything like that, but I AM your brother and I just don't want to see you get hurt again. You're my only sister…" he sucker punched her shoulder, "so I have the right to be overprotective."

She giggled softly. "Yeah yeah, I know. I love you Charlie."

"Ah, love you too sis. Can we please go back inside? It's get bloody chilly out here."

"Yeah. Besides, I can smell mum making a pie…and I am NOT missing that."

They got off of the bench and hugged before making their way back to the warm and cheerful Burrow.

o.O.o

Ginny was absolutely terrified for the next therapy session. She had no idea how Draco was going to react around her or how things would be between the two of them because well…she had no idea how he felt about her. She nervously opened the doors to the brightly lit room and walked over to her usual spot. Draco usually came in late, so it didn't surprise her that his seat was still empty. She anxiously tapped her foot, waiting for the Slytherin to arrive. He finally did, five minutes late, and she couldn't help but notice the flurry of nerves that erupted in her stomach. She whispered to herself.

"Bloody Hell."

"What was that Weaslette?"

She whipped her head up to see that Draco has finally sat down at his seat. Apparently, he had heard her. He also called her Weaslette again. He hadn't done that in weeks.

"Nothing Malfoy."

She hadn't called him by his last name in weeks either, but she figured that since he was using his old nickname for her again, than she could use her's for him. Although, it made it seem like their friendship was taking steps backwards from the simple gesture. Maybe that was what Draco wanted. Ginny secretly hoped that that wasn't it.

"Bit snippy are we?"

"Well you did decide to use that insulting nickname of yours again. Don't I have the right to be irritated?"

"It was…a slip of the tongue."

"Oh really? One that you haven't made in weeks?"

"HAPPY THURSDAY!"

Dr. Bloomberg came waltzing out of her back office like she normally did, a huge smile plastered on to her face. She walked to her usual chair, which immediately ended the slowly simmering conversation between the former classmates. Ginny stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down in her chair. She didn't want things to go bad with Draco. She had no idea what her heart was trying to tell her when it came to the wizard, but she wanted to stay friends with him no matter what. He didn't need to know how she really felt. Dr. Bloomberg talked about the day's activity, one that required everyone to interact with each other, and it seemed that Draco completely left Ginny's mind. Now was her time. This is how she was getting better so she needed to leave all her distractions and worries behind her for the time being. She needed to just concentrate on herself.

o.O.o

After the session was over, Ginny made a break for the door, figuring that Draco didn't want to talk to her. She was out the door and ready to Apparate back to the Burrow when she suddenly felt someone's hand grab her wrist. Her body immediately started heating up and she didn't need to turn around to see who had grabbed her. Draco jerked her around so she was facing him, a smirk on his face.

"Got somewhere to be Ginny?"

"N-no. Just going back to the Burrow."

He knit his eyebrows together, "Then why are you rushing out of here? Normally you stay and talk to me."

"Oh. Right. I just figured that with the way things went before the session-"

"That tiff?"

"Yeah. I guess it just was a tiff but-"

"Come off it Weasley. It's no biggie. Forget it."

She looked into his silver eyes. Every word that he had said was genuine. It wasn't a big deal.

"Okay."

"Good." He looked down at his shoes before looking back at the witch. His next words were barely audible, but the Gryffindor could still hear them. "I don't like it when you're mad at me."

"Come again?" She snickered.

"You heard what I said."

"I think you should speak up there Draco." 

He purposely shouted the next part just to spite her. "SEE YOU NEXT THURSDAY!"

"Yeah yeah! See you."

And with those words, both teenagers apparated back to their homes within ten seconds of each other. Both with smiles on their faces.


	13. At the Manor

Draco arrived to his house with a loud pop and a smirk on his face. His mother, who was waiting for his arrival in the kitchen, came in to greet him.

"Well, looks like someone is in a better mood since last week."

She smirked at her son, the same iconic sneer that he had mastered. He quickly frowned.

"Mum…."

"What? I just noticed that my little boy is happier coming home from therapy this week than last week. It's okay for a mother to fawn over her baby, _dearie._"

She went to go hug him but Draco squirmed under her grasp. Narcissa knew that showing love bothered her son so she did it as often as possible. She was a mischief loving Slytherin too, after all. He made a noise of disgust but his mother knew that it was nothing personal. They only had each other and they would do anything for each other. His mother was growing stronger every day and her depression was slowly waning. They went for evening walks daily and she had at least made progress about going out and took a trip to Gringotts Bank just last week. Of course, she prided herself on making such steps toward bettering herself that she, naturally, teased Draco that she had made it out in public before him. His mom had shown him up.

"Get off mum! C'mon now!"

"So cold towards your poor mother…"

"Drop it woman. We both know that you aren't poor or helpless. You aren't fooling me."

She looked slyly at her son and winked at him. She walked back into the kitchen to continue making dinner with her son close at her heels. He could smell the chicken sizzling in the oven and he couldn't help but levitate toward the intoxicating scent. He reached for some of the chopped vegetables that were gathered on the counter top, only to have his hand swatted away by his mother.

"Don't you dare."

He backed away, knowing not to interfere with his mother and her cooking. He instead grabbed a glass out of the cupboard and poured himself some milk. He leaned back onto the counter, but had no time to relax. It soon became apparent that his mother was not joking with him earlier.

"Well?"

"Well…what?"

"You ARE happier this week. There has to be a reason…"

"Jeez mum. I talk about my bloody feelings enough at therapy. Do I have to do it at home too?"

She began cutting up a pepper…rather aggressively too.

"I am your mother, Draco. You are my son, my ONLY son. I want to know how you are doing. It's only natural you know."

"Yeah yeah-"

"Don't brush this aside."

There was short pause followed by a deep sigh from the wizard. She knew his mother and he knew her well. She would NOT let this go.

"Yeah mum. This week was better than last week."

"And why is that?"

"I dunno. Just not as frustrated as last week."

"What were you frustrated about?"

He thought hard. He didn't need to tell her EVERYTHING…

"My…feelings about something."

"And what feelings are we talking about?"

"Bloody Hell mum. Why don't you just read my mind and get this over with? Or will you stop probing me so much…?"

"Like I said Draco…you are my son and-"

"You want to know blah blah blah. Yeah, I get it."

He took another swig of his milk. His mother had known about the girls that had fawned over him at school when he was younger. She knew all about Pansy and had even met her after revealing that he was taking her to the Yule Ball. But those were just flings, nothing ever serious. And when he grew older, those girls were simply hookups or ways to…_satisfy_ his hormones. But with Ginny, he felt something different. He didn't want to just use her and then exile her like so many girls in his past. She was a girl that should be respected, treated nicely. She was different and for that reason, he would not tell his mother about her. Not yet at least. Besides, he still needed to sort out his feelings first because he wasn't exactly sure what they WERE towards the witch.

"Just with the sessions. I was frustrated about…an exercise that we were forced to do. This week was a lot better."

"Well I'm glad to hear that. Do you think you'll travel outside of the Manor and the sessions any time soon?"

He hung his head. He knew he needed to. I t would probably help him move on and get over his anxiety. Something was holding him back. What was it? He wasn't quite sure. He mumbled his response.

"I don't know."

"C'mon Draco! You know that I love you, and I know that you are perfectly capable of making your own decisions…but you NEED to get out. Listen, I went and it wasn't bad at all! People are rebuilding and they know that our names have been cleared. I was _respected._ Please, Draco, just try. You need to, not just for yourself, but for me too."

He looked into his mother's pleading eyes. How could he say no to that?

"Fine mum. I'll…I'll go next week. A…friend from therapy offered to go and get something to eat last time, but I backed out. I'll accept this time."

"That's my boy."

She messed with his hair, causing him to grunt at her. No one touched his hair. She continued cooking while Draco went to his bedroom and changed into something more comfortable. He unbuttoned his white dress shirt and slipped on a cashmere sweater. Well, that was no backing out now. He had told his mom that he was going to get out next week. He needed to keep that promise to her. He slipped out of his pressed slacks and pulled on a pair of soft dark wash jeans. Well, it wouldn't be that bad anyway. There was no denying it to himself at this point, he WANTED to hang out with Ginny outside of therapy. Before he concluding what his feelings towards her were, he wanted to see her when they didn't have Dr. Bloomberg breathing down their necks. He wanted to see her truly be…herself. He wanted to just be absolutely alone with her. He sighed as he kicked off his dress shoes and put on a pair of house slippers. One thing was still on his mind though.

What if she didn't want to be alone with him? What if she was afraid to be? What if she didn't feel the same way back?

He looked into his bedside mirror to re-straighten his hair. No. She wasn't afraid to be alone with him because she had been the one to ask him out to eat. Maybe this wouldn't turn out bad after all. He walked downstairs as soon as his mother called him for dinner, even more happy than before.


	14. Diagon Alley

_**A/N: Hey guys! I would like to say, firstly, that I am absolutely overwhelmed by the response that I am getting from this story. All of your reviews are motivation for me and I feel so honored to have such dedicated readers. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Second, if you have read any of my other stories, you will see a cross over in this update that will be a little treat ;) Enjoy!**_

Draco was outside the practice's doors, trying to calm himself down. He was muttering under his breath, willing his nerves to just go away.

"It's not that big of a deal, Draco. Just say that you're finally ready to go out with her. No! Shit. Don't say 'go out,' that could insinuate something. Say you're ready to go out in public. There you go. It's just a bite to eat. No big deal. You can do this. You _have_ to do this."

He took a final deep breath and nodded to himself before opening the doors. He walked right to his seat and felt his stomach flip when Ginny turned to say her usual greeting. She smiled brightly at him, as always, but this time was different. It was like her smile sent a vibration through his core. He laughed awkwardly, which made her grin disappear.

"What?"

"Nothing. I have, erm, something to tell you."

"…Okay?"

And then, just like that, he practically shouted it at her.

"I want to go Diagon Alley after this and get something to eat with you!"

He quickly shut his mouth, surprised and embarrassed by how enthusiastic he seemed. Well, he really WAS excited to get out and be with her outside of therapy, but he didn't want her to know that. Ginny raised her eyebrows before giggling a little.

"Okay. We'll go. But did you really have to yell it at me?"

"Ha. Sorry."

He sank down in his chair, mentally cursing himself, while Dr. Bloomberg came out to greet them all. He looked sideways at Ginny, who didn't even seem phased by what had just happened. He crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled to himself.

"Great."

o.O.o

There was no way in Hell that Ginny was paying any attention during the day's group exercise. Her mind was moving at a hundred miles an hour and her heart was banging in her rib cage. Draco had just told her that he wanted to go eat after this. With her. With _her_. She had no idea why her body was reacting the way it was, but she was internally freaking out. If he had told her this ahead of time, she would have worn a nicer shirt… She blushed to herself. She definitely wanted to impress him. There was no denying that. Maybe this was her body, or more likely, her hormones, trying to tell her something. All she knew for sure was that she couldn't wait for the session to end.

o.O.o

Dr. Bloomberg smiled as everyone made another step closer to a full recovery as the session ended. Ginny went to go grab her bag, noticing that her hands were slightly shaking. Yeah, she was nervous as Hell. She slung it over her shoulder and turned to face Draco, who had his own hands shoved deep into the pockets of his slacks. She smirked at him, trying to ease the tangible tension.

"Scared?"

"A little."

Her smirked faded. "Just breathe. It won't be bad, I promise."

"You can't guarantee that."

"We'll see…"

She walked towards the door with him right behind her. They stepped into the cool air; the sun was shining today. Draco, now focusing his attention on the fact that he was actually going out into public instead of being with Ginny, felt the color drain from his face. He knew it was going to be a hard thing to swallow, but this felt like he was choking. Ginny could see the fear painted on his face and daringly reached for his hand, which was still in the depths of his pockets. She pulled it out and clutched it tightly, giving him a squeeze of reassurance.

"Don't worry too much. Just do you."

He nodded at her, now remembering that he was nervous about being with her as well, as they made their way out into the open. Diagon Alley was, surprisingly, alive and bustling. Draco had figured that most of it would be in ruins from the war, but he was dead wrong. Ollivander's had been completely restored and was in business again, as well as the other shops that had been once terrorized by death eaters or snatchers. The atmosphere was high, and it seemed that everyone was simply enjoying life without the constant fear of the Dark Lord. Draco felt himself smiling. This was bloody brilliant! It wasn't what he had pictured at all! Ginny saw him and giggled, which brought him back to earth.

"What?"

"You. You should smile like that more. It does you some good."

He felt his cheeks heat up at the compliment.

"So, where to?"

"Lets hit up the Leaky Cauldron. It's at the end of the Alley and we could sit in the corner if you want."

Draco simply nodded his approval and they set off. He was completely taken off guard by the number of people who kindly acknowledged him. Witches and wizards alike were smiling at him, or tipping their hats as a way to say hello. It was a weird, but wonderful sight for the Slytherin. He wasn't getting nasty scowls or hisses from people like he thought he would. What surprised him the most, however, was the amount of people who knew Ginny. It seemed as though every other person greeted her as they walked by and she took it all with ease. She stopped to talk to a dark haired witch was brilliant hazel eyes. Draco recognized her as Aubrielle Song, a witch who graduated in his year. Last time he knew, she was dating Neville Longbottom. Ginny ran to her and wrapped her into a bear hug.

"Aubrielle! Long time no see!"

"Ginny! It's been so long! How are you? I hear you're not drinking anymore!"

Apparently the witch knew about the Gryffindor's old problem with alcohol.

"Clean and sober! You're still dating Neville, correct?"

At this, the witch beamed. "Yes. We're doing great. Hey, the Harpies just signed me on as their seeker. They are looking for a Chaser and asked me if I knew anyone…"

"Oh Charlie has already tried that on me. I'm thinking about it, I really am. I would love to play again, but I need to just focus on me right now."

"Of course, I understand. And…oh. Hello Draco."

Aubrielle had finally spotted the blonde out of the corner of her eye, saying his name with a hint of venom. Ginny quickly intervened.

"Draco goes to therapy with me. We're friends now."

Aubrielle's hazel eyes grew wide, but only for a moment. She trusted Ginny and her judgment so she wasn't about to argue. She simply turned back to her friend and smiled.

"I see. It's amazing what hope and new life can do. Well, I better get off. Please come visit Neville and I soon, yeah?"

"Of course. I'll send an owl and we'll set up a lunch date."

"Sounds perfect."

They hugged each other good-bye before heading in opposite directions, Aubrielle never taking her eyes off Draco. They duo had finally reached the Leaky Cauldron at the other end of Alley and Ginny pushed the door open for the both of them. They stepped inside and Draco immediately had flashbacks of coming there as a teenager. Him and Blaise use to sit at the bar and drink Butterbeer. No one would give them grief for being kids because both of their families were prominent pure bloods in the wizarding world. Good times. Ginny spotted an open table towards the back, one that had a window view so you could see the lively Alley while you ate. They sat down and Draco could feel his nerves rush back to him. It was just him and Ginny, at a table…alone. This was going to certainly be interesting.


	15. Mind Over Matter

The server came over to get Ginny and Draco's drink order, putting an end to the small awkward pause that had formed. Ginny ordered water, keeping true to her sobriety, and Draco ordered a small butterbeer. Once their drinks were at the table, they seemed to settle into a more comfortable place. The conversation came easier and the awkwardness vanished.

"So, was it as scary as you had anticipated it to be?"

"Not quite. Song didn't seem to pleased to see me, however."

"Well can you blame her? She lost her best friend and her mother in the war. Everyone knows you're redeemed now, Draco, but still."

"I guess. She's quite the spitfire too, isn't she?"

"Oh totally. There were only three witches at Hogwarts that I thought were more powerful than me, witches that I had actually feared. She was one of them."

"Who were the other two? Granger?"

"Yep. She was another one. And the last one was Luna. Aubrielle is wicked powerful and she knows potions like the back of her hand. I would not want to get on her bad side."

"I never knew she was that talented."

"You must have been the only one."

"And she's with Neville?"

"Yep. They've been dating for almost two years now, I believe. If they don't get married…I'll be shocked."

"Ginny, you know that that's what people use to think about you and Harry, don't you?"

The witch was quiet for a moment, letting the words sink. Hell, that's what she thought at one time. And yes, she knew that people had always expected her to marry Harry. They were the ideal couple. She was a talented witch with a stubborn personality who shared his love for Quidditch. She helped keep him grounded while he showed her compassion and made her feel special. They were a power duo. The kind of relationship that everyone aimed for. She scoffed at it all, catching Draco's attention again.

"What?"

"It's just crazy how much things have changed. I wholeheartedly thought that I was going to become Mrs. Ginny Potter one day. Now, I can't even imagine myself being close friends with him." She felt herself getting choked up at the thought. "It's sad. It really is."

Draco had a question for her burning in his head. He wanted to ask it so desperately, but he wasn't sure how she was going to react. It would really put him out there. He took another swig of his butterbeer, deciding to just go for it. He needed to put himself out there. '_Take charge.'_

"I have…a question for you."

Ginny looked up suspiciously, "Ask away."

"Do you ever think you'll be in a relationship again? I mean…one where you would be happy enough to marry?"

Just as Ginny was about to answer him, their waiter came to get their food orders. Draco felt his face go hot. This was the worst timing possible. They gave their orders and the server walked away, much to Draco's relief. He turned back to Ginny.

"So?"

She bit her lip. "Well yeah. I want to get married one day, I do, just…not to Harry anymore."

That was what he wanted to hear, not that he would ever tell her that. He just wanted to know that she was willing to try again. He could see Ginny's brain going to a hundred miles an hour, probably trying to figure out what his motive was for asking that.

Their food came and they ate it happily, changing the topic of conversation multiple times. Draco asked her about the Harpies, remembering what Aubrielle had said to her. He was a little bit shocked to know that she was so hesitate on the subject. He figured that she would have signed right away. After all, it was a chance to make money and play professionally. A very few select people were given the amazing opportunity. Mostly because only a few had the skill and talent. They then talked about old classmates and where they were now. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Dean were all Aurors for the Ministry, and Blaise was somewhere in Italy, managing a wizarding business of his own. They talked about recent news and the improvements of the wizarding world. They talked about their days at Hogwarts and the crazy things that had happened when they were there. Ginny told Draco how she was planning on returning to finish her education, but not for a year or two. Draco also wanted to go back, just when he was more comfortable around people.

They finished their food and paid before heading outside and just walking down the streets, looking into the shop windows. Ginny couldn't help but notice the stairs that people were giving the duo and the whispers that followed them. Draco seemed to notice too because he leaned toward her just than to tell her something.

"You would think people could just mind their own damn business."

"It's the nature of people, I guess. They always have to gossip."

"I've always hated that about people and society in general."

"It just doesn't d any good. Like, are these people really benefitting from it?"

"Nope."

They continued walking and did their best to ignore the noisy witches and wizards peering at them. They finally reached the Apparating point, right outside the practice's doors. There was a slight awkward pause between the two of them. It was obvious that each one wanted to say something, but was waiting for the other to make the first move. So, after a few moments of silence, they started at the same time.

"I guess I should-"

"Thanks for making me-"

They stopped. Ginny giggled a little before nodding at Draco, willing him to continue.

"Right. Thanks for making me go out. I needed that and…and it was nice. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"Well, I'm glad. You needed to be a member of society again."

He laughed nervously and there was another awkward pause. Ginny looked at him. It seemed like he wasn't done yet…like he needed to say one more thing.

Then, it happened. It happened so quickly that it took Ginny a minute to process it.

Draco had grabbed her face, and in a moment where he let his heart take over, pressed his lips hard against hers.


	16. The Aftermath

Three things happened as soon as Ginny and Draco's lips made contact. One, Ginny's body went numb as Draco brought her closer to him. Two, she wrapped her arms around his waist without even realizing it and three, she kissed him back. She felt the butterflies in her stomach erupt as the heat in her body heightened. She use to feel this way with Harry, use to get the jitters in her stomach when he kissed her, but this was way different. This was…more intense. It was like her entire body was being blown by hairdryers while her skin was being simultaneously tickled by little feathers. At least, that's how she decided to describe it as. They kiss lasted seconds, if that, but it felt like their lips were locked for an eternity. They pulled away, both shocked but happy at what had just happened. Neither would come out and admit it though. Draco took a step back, letting his action soak in. All he could see was Ginny's surprised face, with her eyes wide.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from."

"Draco…it's…it's f-"

But before she could say anything more, he Apparated away. Ginny was left standing there, with about a million emotions coursing through her vibrating body. She didn't understand why he had done that, why he had just gone for it, but she knew one thing for certain; she didn't want him to stop. She wasn't even going to deny that fact. She knew it was true. It was bloody obvious by the way her body reacted to it. Adding more evidence to the theory, she kissed him back. She went for it too. What the bloody Hell? And he just left her there! He just left her there with so many unanswered questions that would now have to wait until next week. She suddenly felt her stomach drop at the thought. Next week. She was going to see him next week and things were sure to be awkward. She shook her head. Why was her life so dramatic? She decided to leave Diagon Alley and Apparate back to the Burrow. She needed to talk to Charlie, now.

o.O.o

Draco shot straight past his mother the second he flung the door open to the Manor. She barely let out a 'hello' before he was stomping up the stairs and out of sight. All she wanted to know was how things went in town…

He opened the door to his bedroom and shit it behind him, using a spell to keep it locked so that his mother could not intrude. He went over to his bed and flopped onto it, burring his head in his large collection of silver and emerald pillows. Why had he done that? He was still trying to figure out what was going with his emotions, but it was like his body had just taken over. Like it had a mind of its own. He grunted. After everything was said and done, however, he didn't regret. Well, he wouldn't take it back. Something in the back of his mind had been buzzing lately, buzzing about Ginny. He knew that deep down, he had wanted to kiss her, he just didn't want it to go down like it just had. He wanted it to be more romantic, more personal. That was just… a clutterfuck. BUT, he had noticed that she kissed him _back_. She had actually accepted the kiss and returned it. Draco rolled over onto his back. He had a lot to think about, and he didn't even know where to start.

o.O.o

"HE WHAT? That slimy…son of a bitch…GIT! I'll turn him into a damn ferret, and it'll be bloody permanent this time!"

She knew Charlie wouldn't take the news well. They were out at the old Quidditch pitch, throwing the Quaffle around. It was the perfect time to tell him what had happened, since they were alone, so Ginny stopped flying around as soon as he gave the ball back to her and just hovered there. Then, she told him. And he blew up/

"I swear to God Gin! You can do LOADS better than him! AND YOU HAVE! I just…he put his hands on you! I'll kill him…I'll…I'll-"

"I KISSED HIM BACK."

This shut him up. Oh this shut him up good. She slowly hovered back down to the ground and dismounted her broom. She went over to the shabby wooden shed and put her broom next to her brothers'. She looked back to see that Charlie was now on the ground as well, walking his broom over to the shed. He leaned it up against the outside wall and waited for her to reappear.

"You did?"

"Yeah. I did. Didn't even think twice about doing it either."

Charlie let out a loud exhale, showing his displeasure about the whole situation. He wordlessly put his broom away before closing the door and locking the padlock. Ginny walked over to the lone observing bench and sat down, bringing her knees up into her chest. Charlie came and sat down next to her, running his fingers through his long red hair. He was thinking about how to approach his little sister. Ginny could see the gears in his head turning as he steadied his breath.

"You really do have feelings for him, don't you?"

"Yeah. I think I really do."

"They're genuine?"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

He turned to look at her. "It's just…you've been in a relationship constantly for the past couple of years. First Michael Corner, then Dean Thomas, and then Harry. I just want to make sure that this isn't because you need to be with someone. I just-"

"Because I need to _be with someone_? Charlie, I understand that you've been gone in Romania for a long time, but Merlin! You know me! I am stubborn and independent…you know that I don't need a guy to depend on."

"I KNOW you don't Gin. But what if you think you do?"

"I don't think that I do! If I did Charlie, I would still be with Harry right now and you damn well know that!"

She was angry now and screaming at him. How dare he say that to her? She did NOT need a man in her life to be happy. She didn't depend on anybody! Charlie was silent, watching her get more and more upset as the seconds ticked by. Finally, she stood up, too frustrated to just sit there and brood. She looked at Charlie one last time before turning on her heel and heading to the Burrow. Charlie looked into his hands and sat there for a moment, thinking. Finally sorting through his thoughts, he went back inside and straight up into her bedroom, where she was getting ready for bed. She turned to look at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Charlie held up his hand, begging her to just let him speak. He stood there, not wanting to sit down.

"Ginny, I love you. I trust your judgment. I just, I can't stand to see you get hurt again. Seeing you after Harry hit you, having you tell me that you had a drinking problem…you going to therapy… I just want my baby sister to be happy again. You use to be so care free and driven. Sure, you're still witty, stubborn as Hell, and outgoing, but you lost something after the war. You lost your spark, your spunk, and you're just now starting to get it back. You've come to far. I just don't want you to take any steps backwards. I don't with this git- sorry, Draco, to mess with your happiness."

Ginny took a step foreword with light tears now in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her older brother's waist and he gladly took his muscular arms and encircled her. She was crying now, but it wasn't because she was sad. It was because she was so lucky to have a brother like Charlie in her life, one that cared about her so much.

"I take care of myself, you know." She mumbled into his chest. 

"I know. I just, I like taking care of you too. Just, please be safe, okay?"

"Okay."


	17. The Agreement

As the days ticked by leading up to the next therapy session, Ginny couldn't help but become nervous. She had no idea how things would be between her and Draco. She didn't know what he was thinking or why he had kissed in her in the first place and that was irritating to her. Ginny was the kind of girl who liked answers_, needed_ answers, for everything. The fact that she was in the dark was very unsettling to her. So, naturally, she had a breakfast chat with Charlie before Apparating to the practice. They were seated around the large wooden table, laughing and enjoying the crisp Thursday morning, while the two of them were talking in hushed whispers.

"I just…what do I say?"

"That's a tough one. I would feel it out first. See how he is. Observe his body language, gestures…that sort of thing. Act from there."

"Right."

"Act from what?"

Ginny jerked her head up to see Ron hovering over the two of them. Nerves instantly rushed through her.

"What are you two talking about, over here in hushed whispers…Got a secret have you?"

"No."

But Ginny was too quick to answer and the guilt showed all over her face as her cheeks reddened to a deep scarlet color. Ron was sure to take notice of that.

"Oh come off it Gin. I know you and Charlie have been having little talks here and there. You're not that sneaky."

Ginny's mind started racing as she tried to come up with multiple excuses. She was panicking, and panicking hard. Good thing Charlie was great at thinking on his feet.

"Shove off Ron. You know how hard things have been for her lately. I'm just being a good brother, making sure she has someone to talk to and whatnot, which is more than you're being. Leave her be."

Ron glared at Charlie. That was a really rude accusation that he had just made toward him, but, in the bottom of his heart, he knew is was true. He hadn't been there for Ginny much lately. He was too busy with work, consoling Harry, and maintaining his relationship with Hermione. He knew that he hadn't been there much for Ginny lately and Charlie had just shoved it right back in his face. He turned on his heel with a huff and stomped away. Charlie turned back to Ginny and smirked.

"Like I said last week, just be safe, okay?"

"Yes _father._ I'll be safe."

She sucker punched his arm, just like the old days, before standing up and moving away from the table. She said a quick goodbye to everyone before stepping outside the front door and twisting into oblivion.

o.O.o

Draco buttoned the last button on his pressed dress shirt and looked up into the mirror again. He was practically shaking with nerves and he really did NOT want to go to therapy. He had no idea what it was going to be like, most likely awkward, and he wasn't really looking foreword to it. Well, scratch that, he really DID want to see Ginny just…

"DAMNIT!"

He was so frustrated with himself! Draco liked to be in control of everything he did and, for the time in a long time, he was not in control at all. He rushed out of his bathroom, suddenly realizing what time it was, and Apparated away without any game plan or any ideas about what was going to happen.

o.O.o

Therapy was just as awkward as both of them had predicted it to be. Neither one of them looked at each other when they came in and were both unnaturally quiet when it came to the day's group exercise. You could cut the tension with a butter knife as it hung suspended in the air. Both their minds were working at lightning speed, unable to actually perform the exercise correctly, as they thought about the end of class. The end of class. That was their opportunity to talk and it was just then when Ginny finally balled up the courage to say something to him.

"Draco."

He took a deep breath. He saw this coming. He looked at her to see her biting her bottom lip._ 'Damn. She looks really attractive when she does that….NO. Concentrate.'_

"Yeah?"

"Stay back a little. We need to talk."

So he sat back down. They waited until everyone was gone and Dr. Bloomberg was back in her private office before starting their much-anticipated conversation. Again, Ginny broke the silence.

"Well there is no point in skirting around it. Why'd you kiss me?"

"If I recall correctly, you kissed me back Ginny."

Her cheeks reddened. "That's beside the point. You made the first move. Why?"

Seeing how nervous she was, he felt his confidence skyrocket.

"I wanted to kiss you, so I did. I've kissed loads of girls, you know."

"Don't get smug with me Draco. I say how jumpy you were after you pulled away. Don't act all cocky."

He frowned. How could he forget how stubborn she was? He sighed as he saw her sink into her chair a little. She wanted real answers and he really didn't want to hurt her or give her the wrong impression. He truly cared about her and who was kidding, he had been silently begging for an opportunity like this for months. He wasn't about to pass it up now.

"I wanted to kiss you." He said it again but this time, it was genuinely heartfelt. Ginny perked her head up and looked into his steel gray eyes.

"Don't play with me Draco."

"I'm not. I'm not Ginny. I'm being sincere with you."

"You are?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and relaxed in his seat. This was going to be an interesting conversation.

"Yeah. I am. Don't get too giddy now Weasley."

"I-I'm not…I'm…well I'm surprised."

"Why?"

"Because you use to pick on me! You've made fun of my family and myself for years! You're the sole reason why I always assumed Slytherins were evil! You…you _hated _me. You talked to me and my brothers like we were dirt, like we weren't human. You know, I'm a freaking pure blood like you! You never gave me an once of respect and-" 

Draco quickly grabbed her face and pressed his lips to hers, shutting her up for good. Unlike last time, however, this kiss lingered and Ginny felt herself lightly pressing her tongue against Draco's lips through her own. She didn't want this to end, Damnit, and she sighed slightly as Draco opened his mouth so they could both deepen the kiss. Draco took his other hand and pressed it on the small of the witch's back, moving her closer to him. Ginny reached up and grabbed his shirt, twisted it in her hand. This was perfect. This felt so…wrong but at the same time so right. Draco was overcome with the feeling of desire and at that moment in time he had come to terms with his confusing feelings. Oh he definitely liked her and now that she knew, he wasn't going to hold back. He brought her face even closer to his but before they could go any further, someone loudly clearing their throat interrupted them. They both pulled away in shock to find Dr. Bloomberg smirking at them.

"While I don't mean to be rude, the next session starts in 20 minutes and I need to get things set up."

Ginny felt her cheeks get as red as her hair from the embarrassment. They had just been walked in on, doing something that was never suppose to happen between the two of them, and now that had to leave. Ginny quickly nodded and grabbed her bag before darting out of the building. She didn't apparate home, however, because Draco seized her wrist. She turned around to face him, now standing only inches apart.

"Ginny."

"What?"

"Where do go from here?"

She bit her lip, contemplating her options. "Well, Draco, it's obvious that we are growing feelings for each other."

"Yes."

"So we take this slow. We're both still recovering, remember. And…Draco?"

She had taken a step closer to him, lowering her voice.

"What?"

"I think it's best that we keep this a secret. At least for a little while?"

Draco lightly touched her hip, sending a shiver through her body.

"I couldn't agree more."

And they kissed again before apparating back to their respected houses.


	18. Secrets, Secrets

Keeping everything a secret was exactly what Ginny and Draco did. They went to therapy every Thursday as if there was nothing going on between the two of them. They would always go out to eat after, but they would never show affection or touch each other. If they wanted to be intimate (which was still kept to simply snogging), they went down a back alley that led to an overgrown field. To Ginny, it became their sort of romantic getaway. It was overgrown and old, sure, but it was loaded with beautiful wild flowers that towered over their heads as they rolled around on the soft grass. This went on for months and not a soul knew about it. Well, scratch that, Charlie knew and that was it. Ginny came home every night and he immediately pulled her aside to question her on their after therapy activities. Sure, he absolutely loathed the fact that she was seeing Draco, but every time she came home happy and with a smile on her face and he couldn't deny her of that.

"So what happened tonight?"

Ginny smiled as she was lying on her bed on her back. She was looking up at her ceiling, which had poorly painted stars on it from when she was a little kid. Charlie was sitting on the side of her bed, asking her the usual questions.

"After therapy we went and took a walk along this little nature trail thing in the woods."

"And?"

"It was really nice."

"Did anyone see you back there?"

"Nope. Perfect, right?"

Charlie sighed. He knew the thing that Ginny kept kidding herself about. One of these days, the relationship would make its way to the surface and when it did…well, Charlie didn't want to think about it. It would be a war between families and he wasn't ready for that. Charlie pushed his little sister over so he could lie down next to her on the bed. He stared up at the faded stars too.

"Gin. People are noticing that you're happier."

"I know."

"Don't you think that this is going to come out or that someone will figure it out?"

"Charlie," she propped herself up on her elbows, "No one but you knows that Draco is even IN my therapy class. And you wouldn't let it slip, would you?"

"Of course not."

"Then there is nothing to worry about."

But people HAD noticed that Ginny was a lot happier. She had the bounce back in her step and was throwing the sarcastic insults at her numerous brothers just like she had when they were at Hogwarts together. There was no denying that she had the fire back and she told everyone that it was therapy and moving on, which was partially true. She was a lot a better because she had accepted reality more. She wasn't being verbally or physically abused by Harry, she wasn't drinking herself into a coma anymore, and she wasn't having panic attacks. Therapy really HAD helped her. But, truth be told, the reason why she was REALLY that happy was because she was in a healthy (all though secret) relationship with Draco. People, specifically Ron and Hermione, who knew her the best after Charlie, started to question what other causes were making her so bubbly. While Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were at the table one Sunday morning; Hermione finally asked the witch something that had been on her mind for quite some time.

"Gin, can I ask you something?"

"Of course Hermione."

"Are you seeing someone?"

Ginny choked on her tea but played it off, keeping her composure.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I don't know. I just…your mood had completely changed and well, this is exactly how you acted when you first started seeing Harry. I was just wondering."

"That's understandable. No, I'm not seeing anyone. Just…therapy has really changed me. I see things differently now. My life has just been looking up lately."

Ron cut in. "Well are you at least fancying someone? I mean, you've just been so bloody _giddy_."

Ginny snorted as her brother spat out the last word like it was venom.

"No. No I'm not. I think it's still too soon. I was _in love_ with Harry, Ron. It takes a girl a while to leave all those feelings behind."

And with those words, they didn't question her improved mood swing again.

o.O.o

Draco, also in a noticeably better mood, didn't get any slack from his keen mother.

"MUM! Jesus could you just get off my bloody back?" 

"Of course not! I'm your mother! I'm just saying that there is no way that you're this happy all because of _therapy!_"

"Well I am, okay?"

He went storming out of the kitchen, tired of her asking him questions day after day. Why couldn't the woman just give him a break? She was close on his heels, however and Draco knew his mother well enough to know that she was far from done.

"Draco look at me please."

He kept walking.

"Look at me."

The second time made him stop dead in his tracks as his mother's voice boomed throughout the empty Manor. There was a threatening tone to her voice and he knew better than to try and defy her. He turned on his heel so find him mother staring intently at him; her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Draco. You are my son. I know you better than anyone else on this planet and I KNOW that something else is going on. So, tell me. Now."

Draco stared at his mother, trying to figure out his game plan in his head. He could tell her that he had finally contacted old friends, like Blaise or Pansy, but she would most likely ask why they hadn't visited yet. He COULD tell her that he was seeing someone, which was the honest to God truth, but leave Ginny's name completely out of it. Of course, the second that left his lips, his mother would be relentless about knowing who it was and when she would have a grandchild. He squared his shoulders and looked his mother dead in the eyes.

"Nothing else is going on."

And with that, he turned and went up to his room.


	19. Five Months

_**WOW! I just realized that this story has had over 75 reviews! Thank you so so so much! It really means the world to me! You guys are amazing! :D Oh, and this is one of those M rated chapters ;) ENJOY!**_

Draco and Ginny walked down the back alley, trying to stay hidden from sight. Draco poked his head out at the other end to make sure the road was clear and went ahead into the next alley. Ginny, knowing this routine all too well, counted to ten in her head and then followed suit. Down another alleyway they went, making their way to their little secret field that they enjoyed lying in. It was spring now and the flowers were in bloom and absolutely gorgeous. They walked to towards the back of the field as a safety precaution before finding their usual spot. They could tell exactly where to go because the ground was flat from them sitting their so much. Ginny reached into her purse and brought at a piece of fabric no bigger than a handkerchief. She laid it on the ground before taking out her wand and pointing it at the tiny cloth.

"Engorgio."

The cloth grew to the size of a large picnic blanket and the two sprawled out on it. Draco was on his back and immediately opened his arm up so Ginny could snuggle into his side. She gladly accepted the gesture, resting her head on his chest. She quickly found his steady heartbeat, as she did every time they were like this, and breathed in his scent. It was just too perfect. Draco took a big breath, causing her head to rise with his chest.

"My mum still thinks something is up, no matter how many times I deny it."

"Hermione and Ron asked me about it once too, but I assured them it was nothing. I think Ron is still suspicious of something, but that's just him being an older brother, you know?"

"Yeah. Let me guess, it's because your 'mood is better?'"

"Yep. They said I was acting giddy again which only happens when I am fancying someone. I mean, they're spot on, but I convinced them other wise."

Draco snorted, causing Ginny to raise her head and look at him.

"What was that for?"

"You _fancy_ me." He said in a very taunting voice.

She rolled her eyes and completely turned around so she was resting on her elbows.

"You already knew that though."

"Yeah but when you say it that way it just sounds so…I don't know."

He trailed off, trying to think of a word to describe it.

"Sounds so…what? Huh?"

He leaned foreword and slid his hand to capture Ginny's cheek. He brought his face a centimeter away from hers, whispered the word, "cute," and then proceeded to smash his lips into hers. The witch greedily accepted the gesture by bringing her hand up to the back of his head, pulling him closer to her, and wrapping her fingers in his shaggy blonde hair. Ginny pulled Draco on top of her until he was completely over top of her. Their tongues intertwined as they allowed each other to deepen the kiss. Draco broke free from Ginny's lips and started trailing kisses down her chin until he reached her neck. Ginny let out a small groan as he began to suck on her pale skin. His hands were wandering, exploring her toned body. He smirked against her neck as he felt her back arch when he deftly slid his hand under her bra. He cupped one of her breasts, massaging her now pert nipple, absolutely loving the way that she was reacting to his touch. He was gasping and moaning with every move he made and she was rolling her body underneath his, begging for more. She was at the mercy of his touch and they both knew it. Ginny flung her head back as Draco bit the sweet spot where her neck met her collarbone. It was as if someone were taking tiny electrical currents and shooting them through every cell in her body. Draco kissed his way down her chest until he reached the valley between Ginny's breasts. He tantalizingly unbuttoned her shirt one button at a time, all the while still teasing her with his mouth and tongue. The noise coming from the witch's mouth were now uncontrolled and Draco couldn't help but feel lucky for the woman that he was with right at that very moment in time. She was just so GOOD for him and he never would have thought that way at Hogwarts. But now, now that they were more mature and starting fresh, it was like they were made for each other. Ginny's breathing hitched with every touch and Draco decided to finally stop teasing her. Normally they didn't go very far physically, doing their best to take things as slowly as possible, but they were celebrating today. Today was their five month anniversary since they started to secretly date and Draco wanted to give his girlfriend something special to remember. He slid his hand out from under her bra and trailed his fingers down her flat stomach until he reached the top of her jeans. He unbuttoned her bottoms and pulled the zipper down, giving him more access to her womanhood. Ginny curled her fingers in her boyfriend's hair, wanting nothing more than for him to continue. Just as she was hoping, Draco slid his hand under her jeans and knickers, grazing her throbbing center. She bucked her hips at his touch, not expecting to feel such a rush of pleasure from a simple movement. Not a moment later, Draco slid one of his fingers into Ginny's womanhood, causing her to suddenly groan loudly. Draco started pumping in and out of her, curling his finger upward to reach her G-spot and soon had two digits inside of her. She kept moaning and groaning and Draco brought his lips back to hers to keep her quiet. After all, they still didn't want to be seen. Especially at this moment in time. Pretty soon Ginny was panting and squirming, her orgasm coming nearer and nearer. She arched her back high as it rocketed through her body like a tidal wave.

"Draco!"

He kept pumping in and out of her, riding out her orgasm and finally pulled his fingers out once she brought her hips back to the blanket and he could feel her entire body relax again. She reached for his face and brought his lips to hers in a passionate lip lock. He pulled away from her and hovered over her, taking in her disheveled but still beautiful appearance.

"Happy five month Ginny."

She smiled at him and rolled over on her side so she could cuddle into him.

"Happy five month Draco."


	20. Mother Knows Best

**To everyone in the States, have an amazing 4****th**** of July! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! :D**

Ginny came back to the Burrow after her and Draco's five month celebration disheveled and on a happy high. This of course, was observed by everyone in the house, especially Ron, who was just not letting their conversation that they had had months ago be easily forgotten. Something was most definitely up and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. He quickly grabbed his girlfriend by the wrist and dragged her outside. Hermione was only too eager to talk to him, noticing her friend's weird state as well. They sat on the back step, away from everyone else, talking in hushed whispers.

"Did you see how she just came in?"

"Of course I saw Ron. She is seeing someone. It just has to be that."

"Oh that's what it is; there is no doubt in my mind."

"You don't reckon she's seeing Harry again and is just too ashamed to tell us, do you?"

"Merlin no. Harry STILL mops around the Ministry as if it were his job. There is no way in Hell that she is seeing him."

"Well what about a different ex, like Dean Thomas or Michael Corner?"

"Maybe. But Mum and Dad like both of those blokes. I don't understand why she wouldn't just tell us. I think it's someone that she knows we would disapprove of."

"Honestly, that makes the most sense. Why else would she keep it such a secret?"

"I think she met him at therapy too."

"That's the only time she goes out in public anyway."

Ron sighed. This was going in a direction that he really didn't like. Why was his sister being so shady? Ginny use to tell him everything. They use to be so close. He looked at Hermione and she immediately saw the severity in his eyes. She raised her eyebrows.

"What are you suggesting?"

"Next week, when she goes to therapy, we spy on her."

"RON! Look, I understand that this is a very weird situation, but you can NOT go invading her private life like that. IF she wanted you to know, she would tell you. Maybe she just isn't ready to say who it is yet."

"Hermione, love, I'm getting worried. I think this is something that needs to be done."

Hermione looked at him and frowned. She knew that Ron had good intentions and truthfully, she was worried too. But was this really the best way of going about it? She rested her head on his shoulder and he responded by wrapping his arm around her.

"Just, Ron, if it is someone that you don't like, remember how happy she is right now."

Ron kissed the top of her head, "We'll see."

o.O.o

Charlie slammed Ginny's door behind the two of them once they were safely in her room. Her took out his wand and casted a silencing charm, because Merlin knew he was about to blow up.

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

Ginny quickly snapped out of her daze and stared at her older brother.

"What?"

"WHAT? You don't know? You come in here, stuck in some…some euphoria and you wonder why people are suspicious of you? Are you really THAT naïve!"

Ginny's draw dropped as she took in Charlie's words. How dare he call her naïve? The beautiful state of mind that she was in moments ago had completely vanished and was now replaced by anger towards her brother.

"Do not call me naïve, Charlie."

"Well it's certainly the right word to use right now! What? Was it just the best snog of your life? Is that why you're so bloody smitten?"

Ginny lowered her gaze, "We…we went further today."

Charlie's eyes widened and he lowered his voice, even with the muffling curse on the room. "You…you didn't have _sex_ with him, did you?"

"Yes…we went straight from snogging to sex." She rolled her eyes. "No, we didn't do that. He, well he fingered me. He gave me the best orgasm that I have had in years, Charlie. Why stronger than anything Harry had given me after the war. Sure, when we were at Hogwarts it was bloody awesome but-"

"STOP. Stop. Merlin Gin, I really don't want to hear about all your intimate encounters. No thank you."

"Well you DID ask."

Charlie sighed and ruffled his long hair. He was learning way too much. He leaned against her bedroom door, wanting to say one last thing before leaving her to her own thoughts.

"Gin, I love you. You know that. But people ARE suspicious. Next time you come home, turn on your damn acting skills."

With that, he took out his wand and ended the muffling curse before leaving and going down to the kitchen.

o.O.o

Draco Apparated home and shot into the loo. He needed to wash his hands and get the scent of Ginny's womanhood off him before his mother noticed it. Finally satisfied with his smell, he walked out to see his mother standing five feet away from him. His heart immediately shot to his throat.

"Whoa. Hey mum. You scared me."

"So what did you do in town today?"

Draco picked up on the seriousness in his mother's voice. What was she getting at?

"Went to therapy…like always…and then you know. Walked around Diagon Alley, went to the Leaky Cauldron. I do it every week."

"And who were you with?"

"An old friend. Merlin mum, why the interrogation?"

"Well I sent an owl to the Leaky Cauldron not but fifteen minutes ago."

Draco's entire body stiffened. Sure, his mother had always been extremely protective of him, but she had never gone to lengths this great.

"They sent an owl back immediately. They said you weren't there. AT ALL. Said that you haven't stopped by IN OVER A MONTH! Draco Malfoy you have been lying to me!"

"MUM! I'm not doing anything illegal or 'bad,' I swear! Why can't you just trust me instead of sneaking around my back like that?"

"Because I had an inkling that you were lying to me! Where the Hell have you been for the past month?"

"I told you. I've been hanging out with an old friend."

"An old friend? Really? If it really was an old friend…why can't you just tell me who it is? I like all your old friends Draco. I would understand!"

Draco took a step back from his mother. This would really draw the line between the two of them.

"I just can't tell you. Not yet. It's MY personal life mum. I'm sorry…but let me live it the way I want."

He turned and started walking towards the stairs. He had almost reached the first step but was stopped, dead in his tracks, as he heard his mother speak again.

"I know it's Ginny Weasley."


	21. Narcissa Malfoy

**This is a chapter all about Draco. No Ginny this time. Sorry! Hope you enjoy it nonetheless! :)**

Draco's entire body froze up as he turned to face his mother. She had a blank expression on her face, but there was the faintest hint of a smirk on her lips. Draco's mind was buzzing. Well, his mother could clearly see that it was the truth. Draco's reaction was enough to prove her accusation true. She turned and walked into the den and Draco mechanically followed her. He knew better than to resist her at this point and it was obvious that they had some things to talk about and sort out. Narcissa sat down in a black leather armchair and waited for her son to take his spot next to her. One of their squeaky house elves appeared.

"Can Pebble get anything for Mrs.?"

"Two cups of tea would be nice."

"Right away, right away."

The house elf vanished and Mrs. Malfoy looked at her son again. It was Draco, this time, who said something first.

"How did you find out?"

The elf quickly scurried into the room with a tray of hot tea and crackers. He set it on the nearby table and bowed lowly before leaving. Draco's mother took a sip of her tea and set it back down.

"I also asked the manager if you were normally with someone when you visited. He told me that you were often seen with the Weasley girl but that you two hadn't been in in over a month."

Draco sighed. Damnit. He should have been more careful. His heart sank as his mother continued her speech.

"Draco, do you realize what your father would say if he knew about this?"

"Wait…you're not going to tell him, are you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not. He would most likely have a heart attack right on the spot. But that's not my point."

"Mum…the Weasleys ARE pure-bloods."

"I realize that; but they are also blood traitors."

Draco cringed at the word 'traitor.' He had learned that they hadn't betrayed anyone. Just the opposite, really. They fought for the correct side. Draco was the one who fought with the enemy. Draco was the one who fought against his own schoolmates and housemates. He was the traitor, not the Weasleys. He puffed out his chest to be more defiant.

"They are not traitors, mum. They fought for what they felt was right, just like we did. The only difference between us and them is that they won and we lost. Ginny is an amazing witch and don't you dare try to tell me otherwise! She's…she's bloody talented and an amazing Quidditch player. She has so much passion and drive and she's feisty as Hell; she doesn't take shit from anyone! She's kind and witty, not to mention gorgeous. She makes me so happy and-"

His mother held up her hand and he immediately shut his mouth. The silence that followed was absolutely deafening. Draco knew that his mother was judging him with every passing second and he hated it. He looked up to her the most in his life and the fact that she was upset with him killed him. He just wanted her to say something, anything. Another minute passed by before she broke the silence.

"Draco, do you know why I supported the Dark Lord?"

It was such a deep question that Draco was taken completely off guard. He stared at her.

"Well, I always figured you did because you believed that he was right. You agreed with him."

She slowly nodded her head. "That's what it did seem like, didn't it? But that's not it. The only reason I obeyed him was because your father did. I was being a faithful wife and mother, Draco. I followed him to protect you, not because I believed in his ways."

Draco was silent. He had no idea. He stared at his mother through wide eyes. It was obvious to her that he was in utter shock.

"I believe you when you say that Ginny is a genuinely kind girl, my son. And I can clearly see that she makes you happy but, Draco, have you thought of the consequences? Have you thought about what your little affair could cause?"

Draco stared blankly at his mother. "Why do you think I haven't told you? For that exact reason! I know that near no one would approve of it."

"But that's not what I'm getting at. Do you understand what this could do to the wizarding society?"

Narcissa took another sip of her tea while she let her son think about her question. It was clear that he really didn't know, just as she had suspected. He looked back at her with concern in her eyes.

"I didn't think that me having a relationship with Ginny WOULD effect the wizarding world."

She set her tea cup down. "It would if it were to get out."

"How?"

"Think about it Draco. The Malfoys and the Weasleys are two of the most prominent and well-known wizarding families right now. Especially after both of our roles in the last war, correct?"

"…Correct?"

"On top of that, it is known that Ginny use to be with Harry, the Chosen One, the Boy who Lived, the Hero of the War-"

"Ok mum. I get it."

"Point is, you fought on separate sides of the war. There are still death eaters out there Draco. They would assume that you were with Ginny against your will. They think you still favor the Dark Lord. They would go after her! Not only that, but for all the people who fought on her side, they would think she's crazy and being naïve. She would get slack from everyone. No one would treat her the same. People would also say that you were the reason why the teen dream couple broke up. I KNOW, Draco, that people would be vicious towards you two and I am NOT exaggerating. You're society's Slytherin prince and she's society's Gryffindor princess. This WILL cause problems."

Draco's insides suddenly felt hallow. He knew that people wouldn't approve, but to go as far as hurt one of them and their families? He didn't want anyone to get hurt because of him, not again. His mother set down her teacup, now finished with it, and stood up to leave Draco alone his thoughts. He called out to her before she could get out of earshot.

"You won't tell, will you?"

She turned around and had the slightest trace of a smile on her face.

"Of course not. I can see how happy you are. I'm not about to ruin that."

Draco shook his head before getting lost in his own thoughts. He didn't want Ginny to be in danger, not at all. He didn't want any of the Weasleys to be in danger either. Sure, he wasn't friends with any of her brothers, but they were her family and she loved them. He just couldn't hurt her. He felt the sting of tears invade his eyes. If being with Ginny was risking her safety… He shook his head as the tears started falling down her cheeks. He loved her, he really did, but something inside of him was uneasy. Then, out of nowhere, he came to a frightening conclusion. If ending things with her kept her and her entire family safe, well, it was his only option, wasn't it?


	22. The Weasley Siblings

**And now…this chapter is all about Ginny! Enjoy :)**

Dear G,

We need to talk as soon as possible. This can NOT wait until Thursday. My mum knows. I'll explain it all when we meet up. How about tomorrow in the field? Send this same owl back with your response. Love you.

D.

Ginny read through Draco's note about 5 more times before setting it down on her bed. She went to her desk, took out a new roll of parchment, a fresh quill, and an inkwell before writing her small response.

D,

Tomorrow is great. Meet you at sun down. Love you too.

G.

She rolled it up and attached it to the jet-black owl that was perched at her bedroom window. The majestic bird took off into the sky and as soon as it did, there was a knock on her door. She quickly put away her writing supplies before opening the door. It was Ron and he didn't waste any time in interrogating her.

"Got a letter?"

"That's none of your business."

"You're my sister. 'Course it is."

"It's really not."

"I saw the owl."

"Good for you Ronald. I'm glad you can see correctly."

"Shut it Gin. I know something fishy is going on. I'm not buying your shit that you're telling mum and dad. You're seeing someone; I know it. Where's the bloody letter?"

He began rummaging around her room, looking for anything that was parchment. Ginny quickly ran to him and pushed him back, yelling all the while.

"Get out of my room! It's none of your fucking business! RON!"

No matter how hard she pushed him and tried to pull him out of her room, he was still ripping through paper after paper, looking for any trace of a letter. Ginny could see the rolled up letter from Draco under her pillow, the end of it just barely sticking out. She was praying to Merlin that Ron didn't notice it. She kept screaming, hoping to attract the attention of Charlie, who was out in the shed right outside her window.

"RON! GET OUT OF MY ROOM! I'LL USE MY BLOODY WAND IF I HAVE TO!" 

"You hex me Ginny and I'll make your life Hell!"

"I'LL FUCKING DO IT!"

For a split second she let go off him and dove across the room to grab her wand off her nightstand. At the same time, she put herself in between the letter and Ron. She held her wand up about an inch away from her brother's face. He had nothing but pure rage painted on it.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Room. Right…now."

She spoke to him through gritted teeth and Ron obviously picked up on the seriousness in her voice. He didn't move though. It just proved to him that she was trying to hide something. Oh no, he wasn't going anywhere. Charlie Weasley suddenly came into view and quickly threw himself between his two siblings.

"What the bloody Hell is going on here?" He looked from Ginny to Ron and then back to Ginny. Neither of them were backing down. They were still staring each other down. Ginny still had her wand raised.

"Put your wand down Ginny."

She didn't budge. He turned and looked at her so that she was forced to break eye contact with Ron.

"I said, put your wand down."

She glared at him for a moment before slowly lowering her wand. Charlie had worked with dragons his whole life and all the Weasley children knew to follow his orders, even Bill who was the oldest. He just knew how to tame wild beasts too well, and that's what both Ron and Ginny were at the moment. He stayed between them.

"Ron, you speak first."

"I saw an owl fly to her window. It had a letter on its leg. It flew off about a minute later with a leg on its OTHER leg. She's seeing someone Charlie; I know it. She's hiding it from us and it's effecting our family!"

"THAT'S A LOAD OF BULL-"

"GINNY. Stop yourself. It is not your turn to talk. Now, Ron, why do you think she is someone? It could be just a friend that she is writing to. Hell, it could be the head coach of the Holyhead Harpies whom which I have been begging her to contact-"

"…Charlie."

"Sorry. My point is, Ron, you have no proof."

"Well when I came in here to ask her about it, she became extremely defensive. You obviously could tell by the way she was about to curse me!" 

"You came barging in my room, INVADING MY PRIVACY, and insisted that I tell you everything! NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!"

"GINEVRA!"

She quickly shut her mouth. She could see Charlie trying to keep the peace but it just wasn't enough. The two youngest Weasley kids were just too stubborn and set in their ways.

"I want him out of my room Charlie! I'll hex him! Swear to Merlin I will!"

"Alright, ALRIGHT! Calm down Gin. Ron, please, just get out. Let me talk to her and calm her down."

"But-"

"RON! I'M BEGGING YOU!"

Ron looked at his sister one last time before muttering something under his breath and leaving her room. Charlie went over to the door and shut it, casting a silencing charm for extra protection. Knowing Ron, he would most likely stay close to try and eavesdrop. He turned back to his sister.

"What the bloody Hell is going on here?"

Ginny went to her bed and pulled out the rolled up parchment from under her pillow. She gave it to Charlie, who quickly scanned it over.

"This is from Draco?"

"Yes. And it sounds really urgent to me."

"Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"No, just the opposite. We're really good right now. That's why I'm freaked out about this whole thing. I'm obviously going to meet him."

"That's another thing Gin. I think you should stop going to therapy."

She turned on the spot, her eyes wide. "WHAT?"

"I overheard Ron talking to Hermione the other day. He plans on spying on you next week. He knows you're seeing someone, and he just wants to figure out who it is. He wants to know why it's this big secret."

Her jaw dropped on the spot. "My, my OWN brother wants to…to SPY on me?"

"He's paranoid and doesn't understand why you won't tell him who it is."

"Because the second I do, he'll grab Harry and his buds and go kill Draco!" She walked over and put her hand on Charlie's broad shoulder. "I have to keep seeing him. I'm not about to let Ron ruin the best thing that has happened to me in years!"

Charlie shook his head. He was so torn with the whole situation. He loved the fact that his sister was so happy but, at the same time, this whole thing was causing tension in his family and he was tired of being the constant peacekeeper. Even his mother was trying to get information out of him whenever she saw Ginny and him coming back from the Quidditch field. This family just couldn't mind their own business. He looked at his little sister.

"Alright. Go see him tomorrow. Talk to him. Obviously this is important. Go to therapy too. I'll make sure that Ron doesn't leave the Burrow."

Ginny engulfed her brother in a bear hug, tears lightly trialing down her cheeks.

"Thank you Charlie! Thank you so much! I knew I could count on you!" 

Charlie wrapped his sister in his arms. He just hoped that he could actually keep that promise. There was no telling what Ron would due come Thursday.


	23. The Meeting in the Meadow

**This story has reached over 100 reviews! WOO! You guys are all absolutely amazing! I could not ask for a better bunch of readers :) You guys rock!**

Ginny nervously walked out into the field. She robotically went to the flattened patch of grass and laid out the blanket. The sun was about 5 minutes away from setting and it looked as if she had beaten Draco there. She wrapped her arms around herself as her teeth began to chatter with the cold night air. Where was he? She suddenly felt something drape across her shoulders and didn't even need to turn around to know that he was there. She inhaled deeply and took in the scent of his delicious cologne. She slid her arms through his suit coat as he came around and sat next to her on the blanket. Without his coat, all that he had on top was a crisp white button up with the sleeve rolled to his forearms. Ginny took a moment to appreciate his beauty. It was still unbelievable to her that he was her's and that they were together. Draco cleared his throat, clearing Ginny's head at the same time. Right. His mum knew. They needed to talk. Right. The nerves in her stomach came rushing back to her in a tidal wave. Draco was the first one to break the silence.

"My mum knows."

"How?"

"She called the Leaky Cauldron. Asked if I had been in lately and then asked whom I was normally with. The barkeep told her you. She put two and two together."

Ginny sighed. Well shit. That was easy enough. Anybody in her family could so that as well.

"Well?"

"As far as us seeing each other, she actually approves."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah. She knows that you're a genuinely good person and she thinks you're a brilliant witch."

"Wow."

Ginny shook her head. She would have never guessed that. Narcissa Malfoy, the wife of one of the most notorious death eaters and the sister of Voldemort's right hand soldier, approved of her only son dating a known 'blood traitor' and Harry Potter's ex-girlfriend. It was like being in the twilight zone. She looked into her boyfriend's steel gray eyes.

"So, why are we here than if she approves?"

"Because," he swallowed hard, his lips trembling as he fought back tears, "she b-brought up a good p-point that well… it could…Merlin…"

"Spit it out Draco!" 

"It m-might be best for the both of us, our f-families, and the entire wizarding community if we…didn't s-see each other."

Ginny's ears started ringing and her stomach dropped. She suddenly felt hallow inside and the sting of tears invaded her eyes. She started to shake lightly as the words hit every nerve in her body.

"W-what? Why? NO! No! I don't underst-"

She started to sob on the spot as Draco wrapped her up in his arms. He was crying too.

"Please just…let me tell you what she said. Let me explain."

She just whimpered softly, cuing him to continue. He took that moment to explain everything to her. What she had said about their reputations, the death eaters and what they would most likely do to her family, the uproar, everything. She just stayed in his arms, taking it all in word for word. When he was done she pulled away from him. She hugged her knees to her chest and spoke between sobs.

"Draco, I love you."

Deep breath.

"I don't give a damn whether other people approve of us or not."

Another deep breath.

"We can keep it a secret forever so that nothing bad happens. While I want to tell my family eventually, if telling them means that I can't be with you, I'll keep it hidden."

She sighed.

"I just want to be with you. You've helped me so much. You've helped me crawl out of this dark hole that I was in. I can't have you leave me, not now. Not ever."

She looked up at him through glassy eyes.

"We can't let the old rules of society hold us back. I thought that was why we just fought that damn war; to better our society and break those barriers."

Draco stared at his girlfriend. He hated seeing her like this, with her eyes all red and puffy and her cheeks blotchy from crying.

"Ginny…I just want you to be safe." He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shaking body. "I just want what is best for _you_."

Ginny nuzzled into his chest. "Don't you get it Draco? What's best for me is being with you. We'll be more careful about it all. We'll keep it a secret just like we have been. I just…I really don't think I could handle it if we were to part."

Draco sighed and kissed the top of the witch's head. "Okay. Okay. I'll talk to my mum."

Ginny looked up at him and kissed him sweetly on the lips. "Thank you so much."

o.O.o

"So did you two meet up and talk?" 

"Yes."

"And how did it go?"

Narcissa looked up from her book that she was reading in the family library. It was late at night, near midnight, but she was still dressed to the nines in a crisp maroon dressing down. Draco inwardly smirked; he would not have expected anything less from his mother.

"We decided that we're staying together."

Mrs. Malfoy placed the satin bookmark back in her book and set it down on the table next to her before looked up at her son.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive."

"And you are willing to deal with the consequences once word gets out?"

"Word won't get out. We're going to keep it a secret and just be more careful. I mean, you're not going to tell anyone."

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"Both. You said so yourself that it would cause quite the uproar…and I know you wouldn't want that for your only son, your only family that you have left."

He crossed his arms over his chest. Yes, his mother knew, but she wouldn't do anything about it. She would do anything in her power to protect her baby. She slowly stood up and walked over to Draco.

"Okay. I respect your decision to stay with her. I will keep it a secret and I will deny the relationship if anyone gets suspicious…on one condition, however."

Draco glared at her. What was she up to? "Which is?"

"I have to meet her."


	24. Ron Weasley's Fan Club

**Hello faithful readers! I am going up north for a couple of days where I will not be able to write…BOO! So I am giving you this chapter to hold you over until I get back! Happy reading!**

After Ginny told Charlie everything that had happened at the field between her and Draco, the next obstacle to overcome was somehow keeping Ron as far away from the therapy practice on Thursday as possible. Charlie knew that he would be determined to spy on his little sister even more, given the whole letter incident that had happened a couple days prior. Ginny quickly gathered her purse up on Thursday morning, going over the plan with Charlie one last time.

"I'm going to Apparate at the other end of Diagon Alley, away from the practice."

"Correct. I'm going to be sitting outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Ron doesn't know exactly where the practice is, so he is going to have to follow you either way. And you're _sure_ Draco knows about this?"

"Yes. We talked about it at the meadow after we concluded that we were staying together."

Charlie sighed. He had secretly hoped that they would end it all and just save everyone the trouble. He really didn't like the idea that his little sister was dating a former death eater. Yes, Draco became one against his will…blah blah blah and yes…Charlie approved of it to Ginny's face but not in his mind. He was just so damned worried about her.

"Okay. And the second I see Ron I'll let the fan girls fly."

Ginny snorted to herself. It was true; Ron had fan girls. He was a war hero and now one of the most 'badass' Aurors at the Ministry. Whenever he went out in public, he had to be sneaky or else people wanting pictures with him or wanting his autograph would bombard him. He even had his own bloody fan club, and that's who Charlie was about to unleash on him. It was a gang of teenage girls, all currently in their second, third, or fourth year at Hogwarts. They had been writing letters to the Burrow for months, almost a year, trying to convince Ron to come to one of their meetings. When Charlie finally wrote back and told them he had a favor that would result in them meeting Ron, they were only too eager to agree. Hell, they were on Easter vacation. Might as well see their idol. Ginny actually couldn't wait to see the look on her brother's face once they rushed to him. Charlie promised them an all day encounter so Ron would be more than distracted. She finally tucked her wand into her rain boot.

"Okay. Ready. You Apparate first so you get there ahead of me."

Charlie gave his sister a squeeze after seeing how nervous she was.

"It'll be okay Gin. You can count on me."

"I know, I know."

She pulled away and watched as her older brother twisted into oblivion with a soft swishing noise. Right on cue, Ron came barging into her room.

"Where did Charlie go?"

"To run some errands."

"Oh…okay. Are you going to therapy?"

"Yep."

"Okay. Er, have fun?"

"I will. Bye."

She was being short with him but what else did he expect. He was being a complete arse to her. She closed her eyes before Apparating away. Her stomach dropped as the magic coursing through her relocated her to Diagon Alley. She popped up right outside of the Leaky Cauldron, just as planned. She could see, about 20 feet ahead, that Charlie was sitting outside of the ice cream parlor with his back to her. The three tables closest to him were filled with giddy, whispering, anxious teenage girls. They all had a roll of parchment and a quill in hand. Ginny sniggered; this was about to be hilarious. She took a couple steps foreword and could start to make out the whispers.

"OH…MY…MERLIN! There is Ginny! That's his younger sister!"

"She's a war hero too, _of course_."

"She's so much more pretty in person!"

"I wonder if she's still dating Harry Potter!"

"OH MY GODS LOOK AT HER!"

"I want her hair!"

"Yeah? Well I want her brother…"

"Natalie…that was a little DIRTY don't ya think?"

"I don't think so _at all."_

They kept babbling about her as Ginny heard the familiar sound of someone Apparating. Charlie barely looked over his shoulder and then whistled. That was the cue; Ron was there now. Ginny picked up her pace and walked past the giggling students, keeping them distracted. Soon, however, Charlie turned the girls and simply said, "Go get him," before they erupted in cheers and squeals. Ginny looked back to see them absolutely bombard her brother. He had the look of pure panic on his face as they surrounded him and hung on his arms. Ginny saw Charlie holding his abs and cracking up at the table. Mission accomplished. The witch turned back on her heel and walked briskly to the practice. She reached the door and stepped inside, surprised but happy to see Draco already there. Normally he walked in late. Upon her arrival, he immediately got out of his seat and walked over to her.

"Hey." She kissed on quickly on the lips. "I need to talk to you. It's about my mum."

Ginny felt her cheeks heat up at the idea of Narcissa. "What?"

"She says she won't tell anybody-"

"Thank Merlin."

"-but she has to meet you."

And just like that, Ginny's palms were covered in slick sweat. WHAT? Narcissa wanted to meet her? She suddenly felt nerves invade every cell in her being. What if she didn't get over the past? What if she clung to the old prejudices? What if she flat out told Ginny that she had to stop seeing her son? What if she didn't like her? What if-"

"Stop. Ginny stop. I can practically hear you going through all the scenarios in your head. Relax. My mum, believe it or not, is actually pretty easy going. She's intimidating as Hell, sure, but she's a mother nonetheless. She wants her son to be happy and I am with you. That means a lot to her."

Ginny exhaled deeply. "Okay. Okay, yeah."

"So, how about tomorrow night? We can meet her and then I'll Apparate us back to the Manor since I know how to break through the family wards."

Ginny chewed on her bottom lip. "What will I tell my family?"

"Communicate with Lavender or Katie or something. Tell your family you're reconnecting with some old friends."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

"Everyone take your seats!"

Dr. Bloomberg had busted into the room with that same smile plastered on her face. Ginny and Draco went and sat down next to each other, ready to get the therapy session started. Dr. Bloomberg smiled at all of them with her trusty clipboard in hand.

"Okay, today's warm up involves partners so get together with your usual mate."

Instantly, Ginny and Draco moved their chairs so they were facing each other.

"Now, I want you to go through your partner's name, and say a quality for every letter of their name. The quality must start with the same letter as the one that you are on in their name. For example, if my partner's name is Dan, I would say 'determined,' 'amazing friend,' and 'nice.' Get it?" Everyone shook their heads. "Very good. Begin!"

Ginny turned towards Draco.

"I want to do you first!"

He smirked. "That's dirty, but okay."

Ginny slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Okay. D is for dedicated."

Draco smirked.

"R is for…really intelligent."

"I'll take it."

"A is for attractive as Hell."

"I like that one."

"Figured you would. C is for cocky. Don't deny that one."

"I won't."

"And O is for…Outstanding boyfriend."

Draco looked like he was pondering the last one.

"Okay. I like it, I like it. My turn?"

Ginny smiled, "yes."

"Should I use Ginny or Ginevra?"

"Ginny is 5 letters, just like Draco. It's even."

"Okay, okay. So…G is for gorgeous."

She blushed.

"I is for intense. You really are."

"I take that as a compliment."

"N is for never quit attitude. Uh…the other N is for…nice."

"Nice? That's it?"

"You have two n's in your name and there aren't many positive words that start with n. Take it or leave it."

She giggled, "I'll take it."

"And Y is for 'you're a really great Quidditch player.'"

Ginny started laughing so hard that she snorted. That usually came naturally when she was with Draco. He just never failed to make her laugh. By the end of the therapy lesson, she had completely forgotten about Narcissa and how nervous she was. Instead, she thought about how excited she was to be introduced as Draco's girlfriend.


	25. The Dress

Ginny brushed through her long red hair for about the hundredth time. Charlie was sitting on her bed, recounting yesterday's master plan, while watching her get ready for her dinner at the Manor.

"So he ended up being stuck in Diagon Alley for an extra 4 hours?" 

"Yep! Those fan girls are CRAZY. They literally wanted a picture with him in every single shop. He was absolutely at their mercy. It was such a beautiful sight sis."

"Good. I'm just glad that he never figured out where the practice was and is still in the dark about everything."

"Yeah. And wanna know the best part?"

Ginny looked at her brother through the mirror on her vanity. He had a look of pure mischief on his face. It reminded her of the same look that Fred and George had

often donned at Hogwarts. She raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"I told them that he often came to Diagon Alley on Thursday mornings. So-"

"They will be there every time I go to therapy!"

"Exactly!"

"Charlie!" Ginny jumped off her chair and bombarded her brother in a giant hug. She flattened him on her bed and squeezed him hard.

"GIN! You're….suffocating…"

"YOU ARE SO AMAZING! You are the best brother ever Charlie! I owe you big time! You just say the word and I'll do it!"

"How…about you get…OFF ME!"

"OH!"

Ginny rolled off of him and on to the side of her bed. Charlie gasped as the weight of his little sister was lifted off of him. Ginny whacked him on his abs.

"I'm not THAT heavy you jerk."

She giggled as Charlie held his ribs, pretending to kneel over in intense pain. Ginny turned to see the old clock that was sitting next to her bed. The hands were little broomsticks. Charlie had given to her on the Christmas after she had made the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Shit!" 

Charlie bolted up right onto his elbows. "What?"

"I have to Apparate to the Alley in 30 minutes and I haven't figured out what dress I'm wearing yet!"

"…You still have thirty minutes to figure-"

"That's not a lot of time!"

She darted to her wardrobe and threw the doors open wide. On each door was a different dress draped over a hanger. She turned back to her brother, who was still on her bed.

"Will you tell me which one looks better? I can't decide. I know that I have to be fancy and whatnot since it's Narcissa fucking Malfoy, but I don't want to look like I thought to hard about it, ya know?"

Charlie snorted. "But you are thinking too hard about it."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" 

She grabbed the first dress off the hanger and retreated behind a changing curtain in the corner of her room. She quickly slipped the dress on over her head and Charlie could hear the noise of a zipper being done. She smoothed out the material with her hands and stepped out from behind the wall. The first dress was, Charlie had to admit, beautiful on her. It was a classic little black dress with gold buttons down the front and thick straps that criss crossed in the back. It hit right above her knee with a gentle pleat but was tighter around her chest and waste. Charlie stared at his little sister.

"Woah. I can't call you my 'little' sister now. Where did you get that dress?"

"Katie Bell gave it to me. I'm 'supposedly' going to be at her house tonight. She owed me a favor so she did it without question. Plus, Ron nor the twins know where she lives so there are no chances of them dropping in on her. So how do you rate this first one?"

"It's classic but it's kinda tight around your boobs. It does look stunning though. Eight out of ten."

"Okay. Now let me put on the other one."

She snatched the second dress and darted behind the changing wall again. She quickly wiggled her way out of the black dress and folded it over the top of the wall. She stepped into the second dress and pulled it up over her shoulders. She stepped out from behind the wall again and the look on Charlie's face told her everything. The second dress was olive green, which complimented her skin tone and hair color perfectly, and fit her as if it were made for her. The top half of it was skintight, all lace, and one shoulder styled with a long sleeve on her left arm, revealing one Quidditch toned and tantalizing shoulder. There was a black sash at her waist, which separated the top and bottom half. The bottom of the dress was the same olive green color, but the material wasn't lace. Instead, it was a soft cotton material that flowed out to her knees. The only thing racing through Charlie's mind was how grown up she looked. She looked like a mature 25 year old, not his 18 year old sister. Charlie sat all the way up on her bed.

"Gin, you're absolutely glowing."

She blushed hard. "Thanks Charlie. So this is the one, yeah?"

"Without a doubt. Did you get that from Katie as well?"

"Nope, I made this one. I…well…I thought that this could be the dress that I wore the night that Harry proposed…I don't know. I just, we talked about it happening and-"

"I get it, I get it. You don't have to talk about it sis. Point is, this dress is utterly gorgeous and I honestly can say that there is not a girl on this planet that is more beautiful than you tonight."

Ginny felt a tear well up in her eye and she quickly tried to fan it away before it messed up any of her makeup. Charlie got off her bed and walked over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders before tilting her chin up to look at him.

"Go tonight and be yourself, okay? Do that, and Narcissa will fall in love you just like Draco has. Seriously. You are an amazing girl and no one can take that away from you. You have nothing to worry about."

Ginny fell into her brother's chest and hugged him tight.

"Thank you so much Charlie, for everything."

"Of course. Now, go and have fun and tell me EVERYTHING as soon as you get back."

Ginny laughed. "You know I will."

"Good."

She took a step back from and smiled before twisting into thin air and Apparating to Diagon Alley.


	26. Dinner with Mrs Malfoy

Ginny stood behind the practice, waiting for the sound of Draco Apparating to come and get her. They had to be even more discrete now, mostly due to what Narcissa had planted in their minds, and Ginny could not risk being seen just standing there…alone…in a fancy dress…and heels…obviously waiting for someone. She shivered as a cool spring breeze ruffled the bottom of her dress and blew her hair out. Where was he? She suddenly heard the familiar swishing noise followed by a soft thud. She held her breath for a moment, wanting him to say something first. In a matter of seconds, her wish came true.

"Gin?"

"I'm here."

She took a step out from behind the practice and watched as Draco's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He opened and closed his mouth like an idiot and Ginny couldn't help but giggle. She slowly turned so he could see her from every angle.

"I'm guessing by your reaction that you like it?"'

Draco blushed hard and shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

"Like it?" He snorted. "You look bloody stunning. I love it."

Ginny smiled hard and stepped foreword, closing the gap between them. She reached foreword and cupped his face with her hands, bringing his lips to hers in a searing kiss. His hands immediately shot out of his pockets and encircled her waste, causing her to be flush against him. Ginny smiled against her boyfriends lips and pulled away from him, much to his displeasure.

"We really shouldn't keep your mother waiting, Draco. Besides, we shouldn't be out in the open like this for so long."

Draco frowned. "You're right, you're right." He pulled away from her and held out his arm, letting Ginny grab the crook of his elbow. "Ready to meet my mum?"

Ginny sighed deeply. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Then off to Malfoy Manor we go."

And in the blink of an eye, they disappeared from Diagon Alley.

o.O.o

Draco gave Ginny's hand a tight squeeze as he opened the large oak doors that led into the front hall of the Manor. Ginny was immediately taken aback at the size of the house. Sure, she had always known that Draco had money, and lots of it, but she had no idea what kind of mansion he lived in. It was absolutely huge and as soon as she stepped inside the front door, she realized that it was even grander on the inside. The furniture and decorations were lavish and exquisitely made. There were large paintings on the walls that were obviously done by master artists and crystal vases on almost every table that held bright and blooming flowers. Ginny looked around in awe. It was purely spectacular. She couldn't even imagine living in a house like this. Draco watched her with awe as she took in the Manor. She had such a look of fascination on her face that was the look of a young child in a candy store. He couldn't help but beam at her curiosity. It was so innocent that it was…well…attractive. He pulled her through the house, showing her room after room, stopping to point out a photograph or a trinket that was special. Ginny was utterly in love with the library the second he showed her the rows upon rows of books and tales. She couldn't help but think about the field day that Hermione would have in there if she was given the chance. They finally reached the dinning room to find Narcissa putting a dish of steaming vegetables on the table. Ginny's heart started racing the second she made eye contact with Draco's mother. She was stunning beautiful, but intimidating as Hell. Draco lightly pushed Ginny foreword as Narcissa glided towards the pair. She stuck out her hand which Ginny shook firmly.

"Hello Ginny. Draco has told me so much about you."

Ginny laughed nervously. "Nice to finally meet you. All good things I hope."

"Of course, of course. Shall we eat now?"

Draco pulled out his mother's chair and had her sit down before doing the same thing to Ginny. Narcissa sat at the head of the table with Ginny and Draco on either side of her. At first, Ginny had trouble forming words and sentences properly because of how nervous she was, but as the dinner went on, she found that conversing with Mrs. Malfoy was easier than she thought.

"So, Ginny, what do you want to do when you're a little bit older? What job path do you want to pursue?"

"Well, actually, the coach of the Holyhead Harpies is interested in me becoming a Chaser for the team."

"Wow! That is quite the opportunity! I actually do remember, from coming to Draco's matches at the school, that you were quite the player."

"Thank you. Yeah, Quidditch is something that runs in the family. My older brother Charlie use to be the Gryffindor Seeker, Fred and George were both Beaters for the team, and Ron was a Keeper. It's sort of a family affair."

As his mother and Ginny continued to make small talk, Draco found himself beaming. These were the two most important women in his life and they were getting along effortlessly. He couldn't help but feel so lucky. When dessert came, however, the conversation turned from being light hearted, to very deep indeed. The dark chocolate pudding with strawberry slivers came, and it was like the mood shifted. Narcissa cleared her throat and got right down to business.

"Ginny, how do you feel about my son?"

She choked a little bit on the pudding. "In what ways?"

"Romantically. You _are_ in a relationship with him…"

"Oh, yes, right. I care for your son very deeply Mrs. Malfoy. I think we have a very strong connection because of how we helped each other."

"You two started to bond through therapy, am I correct?"

"Correct."

"Why were you there in the first place?"

Ginny's stomach dropped. How was she supposed to tell her that she use to be an alcoholic? Would she forbid her from seeing Draco after she told her? How would she react? Ginny swallowed hard.

"Well, as you probably know, I lost my brother, Fred, in the battle. It was particularly hard on me and I would have frequent and absolutely horrid panic attacks. They would control my life. And…the only way I could control them…was…well…" She nervously rubbed her hands together. "through drinking."

"Liquor?"

"Yes."

"So, would you consider yourself an alcoholic?"

"Well, I'm not anymore. I've been sober for almost a year now. But when it was happening, yes, I would have considered myself an alcoholic."

Her voice got very quiet at the end of the sentence. She was really insecure when it came to the subject of her drinking. She was always so ashamed of it. She felt Draco lightly tap her leg with his foot. He was there for her; she had to remember that.

"And, correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't you use to date Harry Potter?"

Ginny could feel the beads of sweat forming as the questions became more and more personal. This was pure torture.

"I did."

"Why did you end things with him?"

"Well, we weren't healthy anymore. There was a lot of yelling and screaming. He was always gone on Auror missions. Then, he…well he slapped me. That was the last straw for me. I left him. Draco was there to help me heal."

"Well no one deserves to go through something like that. I'm sorry dear."

"Thank you. Draco's really made my life so much better though. He showed me how to laugh again."

"And he's not just a rebound to make Harry jealous?"

Ginny's jaw dropped at the question. "W-what? Of…of course not! Mrs. Malfoy, I _love _your son. I am _in love_ with him. I would _never ever_ use him like that, I promise you. Harry doesn't even know that we're together."

Ginny couldn't even believe that she had just asked that. She looked over at Draco to see the obvious shock on his face as well. He was as pale as his platinum blonde hair. He leaned foreword towards his mother.

"Mum, I know that I'm your son, and that you just want what's best for me but you need to realize that Ginny and I really do love each other. She's not going to hurt me and I'm not going to hurt her."

Narcissa didn't say anything for a while. There was a palpable awkwardness in the air. She dabbed her mouth with a napkin before saying her final word on the situation.

"Just from talking to you tonight, Ginny, I can tell that you are an amazing girl. You are charming, sweet, intelligent, beautiful…I love that Draco has finally found someone that compliments him so well. That being said, I will do everything in my power to protect the both of you so you can keep seeing each other."

Ginny couldn't help but beam at the older witch. "Thank you so much Mrs. Malfoy! It really means so much to me to have your approval!" Ginny and Narcissa stood up from the table and hugged each other. Draco stood up as well, his entire being filled with happiness. This was, in all honestly, the most perfect outcome that he had prayed for. It felt, in that moment in time, that nothing bad would ever happen to him and Ginny.

Boy was he wrong.


	27. Their First Time Together

**Shit's about to get real, y'all!**

Ginny was itching to have Dr. Bloomberg dismiss them and end the therapy session. Now that Mrs. Malfoy was fully aware, and fully supported, Draco and Ginny's relationship, they were able to hang out at the Manor. It was awesome because they could be themselves, be as loud and crazy as they wanted, without worrying about being spied on or anything like that. It was a total risk free situation. They only thing that sucked was the ancient wards that protected the Manor. Because they were so old, and so cryptic, only a Malfoy could Apparate through them. So not only did Draco have to Apparate both of them when going to the Manor, but also at the end of the night, he had to Apparate them both back to Diagon Alley so Ginny could Apparate back to the Burrow herself. It was only a small delay though, and completely worth it. Finally Dr. Bloomberg said the magic words that Ginny had been eagerly waiting for.

"Awesome session today everyone! You're dismissed. See you next Thursday!"

Like usual, Ginny and Draco waited until everyone else was gone before leaving the practice. They retreated behind the building and quickly clasped hands. Without any words, Draco took them away to his family mansion.

o.O.o

Draco lightly traced the outline of Ginny's lips as they laid there on his king size bed. Ginny was on her back, looking up at Draco. She smiled at his touch as the little bolts of electricity charged her body. She could feel the heat in the pit of her abdomen intensify as he trailed his fingers down her chin and over her collarbone.

"You're so beautiful, you know that?"

"Mmm. Do you realize how bias you are?"

"I'm not the only one who thinks that you know. After I Apparated you back to Diagon Alley after our first dinner together, my mum wouldn't shut her mouth about you. 'She's absolutely gorgeous Draco. She's got such drive Draco. I can tell that you really love each other Draco. She's way better than any other girl you've ever brought home, Draco, especially Pansy. Don't let this one go, Draco.' Blah…blah…blah."

Ginny chuckled. "You're just upset because she's got a new favorite."

"You are not her favorite over me! She's just always wanted a daughter, I think, and now she has one through you."

It was true. Narcissa was always asking Draco when she would see Ginny next and she never failed to spoil her son's girlfriend. Narcissa simply had to have a girlie chat with Ginny every time she came over and she dotted on her every second that she could. For being the wife of a notorious death eater and well-known pure blood supremacist, she was one of the nicest ladies that Ginny had never met. As much as Lucious and Draco use to bully her family, it was almost as if Narcissa wasn't related to them in that sense.

"…I'm just keep saying that I'm her favorite."

"Great. Pretty soon, you're going to start liking my bloody mum more than me."

Draco rolled onto his back and Ginny quickly rolled on top of him. She propped herself up on his chest and hovered her face dangerously close to his. Draco could smell the faint strawberry scent of her hair and the spicy aroma of her perfume. It was truly intoxicating to him. She was so close that their lips just barely brushed against each other. A sudden shiver shot through the wizard's body as his girlfriend talked to him in a whisper.

"You'll always be my favorite Malfo-"

He couldn't take it anymore. He reached up and brought Ginny's mouth to his own in a searing kiss. Ginny didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss and before she knew it, she was rolling around on her boyfriend's king size bed while he was pulling her shirt off. He threw her blouse onto the ground and his shirt was soon discarded as well. Draco flipped her around so she was on her back and attached his lips to her neck and started sucking her soft skin. Ginny rolled and moaned underneath him as his hands wandered towards her womanhood. He teased her by simply running his hand over her clothing and lightly putting pressure on the spot that was just aching to be touched. Ginny made a loud groan of disappointment as her boyfriend continued to taunt her.

"Damnit Draco! Would you just touch me already?"

He sniggered against her collarbone. He had her right where he wanted her and they both knew that. He slowly kissed his way down her body, over the valley of her breasts and across her flat and toned stomach until he reached the waistband of her pants. He slowly pulled them down over her hipbones, her thighs, her knees, her ankles, until they were completely off and added to the pile with the rest of her clothes. Draco lightly parted her legs, his head still dangerously close to her throbbing center. Then, he did something that Ginny hadn't seen coming. He began to go down on her, as he tasted everything that she had to offer. Ginny's breath hitched in her throat as the overwhelming pleasure coursed through her. Her hands grabbed the sheets and she clenched them hard as the sensation over took her entire being. She had NEVER felt this way with Harry…ever.

"Oh my god! I'm gonna—I'm gonna-"

She shrieked and arched her back as the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced hit her hard. Draco rode out her orgasm as he licked up her body's natural juices. He slowly made his way back up her body, making a trail of kisses along the way. Ginny reached down and unbuttoned her boyfriend's pants, desperately wanting more. She was absolutely craving Draco's touch and not in the normal way. She wanted him, all of him. She wanted him inside of her. This was the defining moment that Ginny had been looking for; that moment when she knew it was right for them to have sex. Draco had just made his way back to her chin when she finally got his pants pushed over his harden length.

"Draco…"

"Hmmm?" He hummed against her earlobe.

"Now. I…I want you…in me. Now. Please."

He pulled away from her and looked into her lust filled eyes with his own.

"Are…are you sure? Ginny, I told you that I can wait for as long as you w-"

"I don't want to wait anymore, Draco. I love you. I want this to happen. I'm…I'm ready. Please-"

He smashed his lips into hers while simultaneously pushing his pants and knickers down his legs until he was completely naked as well. He hovered over his girlfriend and aligned himself with her opening. He released from Ginny's lips, kissing her nose, her cheeks, her chin, her forehead, while Ginny quickly whispered the contraceptive spells under her breath. He whispered softly in her ear as she brought her hands up to grip his muscular shoulders and forearms.

"Ready?"

"Please."

Her begging finally paid off as he slowly sunk deep into her.

"Woah!"

Draco took Ginny's shocking approval as his queue to keep going. He thrusted in and out of her over and over again, each time going in deeper than the last. Ginny was writhing and groaning under him, completely taken over by lust and desire. It just felt so right to be with him like this, so…natural. It was like they were made for each other. They fit together like a perfectly made puzzle. Draco picked up the pace, now letting the need for more taking over his body. He couldn't stop. If someone had asked him to, he was positive that it would have been physically impossible. He stared grunting as the pleasure sensation increased with every thrust of his hips. Ginny was moving underneath him to the pulse of his movements. He could tell by her breath that she was about to peak and he was pretty much there as well. Then the moment hit them both like a tidal wave. Ginny arched her back into Draco and clenched down on his shoulders with her fingernails.

"OH!" 

Draco came at the same time she did, letting out a low groan from the back of his throat. He waited until they had both came down from their high before pulling out of her and using his wand to clean away their juices. He flopped down next to her on the bed and stared up at his ceiling. His entire body was still pulsing.

"That was-"

"Bloody amazing."

He snorted at Ginny's blunt response. She rolled over and snuggled into his chest. He gladly wrapped his arm around her.

"I wish I could spend the night."

"I wish you could too."

"You know, it really sucks that I have to keep this from everyone."

"Minus Charlie."

"Minus Charlie."

Ginny had told Draco about Charlie knowing the next day after having lunch with his mother. IF she knew about her knowing, then he deserved to know about Charlie knowing. She rolled over onto her side again and sat up in the bed.

"I do have to go, or else they will suspect something. Plus, if I stay in this bed any longer, I'll be sure to fall asleep, and then I'll really get into trouble."

She hoped off the bed and began to redress herself. Draco moaned as he hoped off his bed and did the same. As soon as they were both dressed, Draco grabbed her hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Alright. You ready to Apparate back to Diagon Alley?"

"Take it away, captain."

He laughed before sending them both to the therapy building. They landed right outside of the front door and quickly shot around to the back alley. It was late at night, and there was not a soul in sight, but they were so use to their routine. Ginny took a step back and ran into a trash can, which knocked over and made a loud bang that echoed throughout the alley.

"Ginny!" 

"Shit. I didn't see it."

Draco laughed again but quickly brought Ginny closer to her so she was flush against him. He kissed her sweetly on the lips.

"I'll owl you soon."

"Okay."

They kissed again before Apparating away, one after the other, to their respective homes. The swoosh of Ginny finally leaving was just loud enough to mask the sound of something moving at the very back of the alley.


	28. Front Page Story

"_We're going to be together forever, Ginny. No matter what anyone says."_

_The breeze was gentle and calming as it ruffled the long wild flowers around the duo. Ginny reached over and took Draco's hand into her own, not wanting this moment to end. She was looking into the silver pools of his eyes, letting him do all the talking. With every word he said, she swore that she fell more and more in love._

"_If anyone has a problem with us, I'll fight them; I don't bloody care. You're my girl now and you'll always be my girl."_

_Ginny took her free hand and cupped Draco's chin with it. She brought his face down to meet hers and kissed him full on the lips. He gladly opened his mouth so their tongues could dance with each other and-_

"I'M GOING TO KILL HER!"

"DAMNIT RON COOL THE FUCK DOWN BEFORE I HEX YOU!"

Ginny woke up from her amazing dream to the sound of her brothers fighting one another. She could hear them running up the stairs and showing each other along the way. She could easily make out the voices of Ron, Charlie, George, and Bill. Her mother was yelling at all of them from the kitchen below.

"IF YOU HEX EACH OTHER SO HELP ME MERLIN I WILL TAKE YOU OUT!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL HER!"

"FUCK KILLING HER! I'M GOING STRAIGHT FOR MALFOY! SLIMMY GIT THINKS HE CAN PUT HIS HANDS ON MY LITTLE SISTER? HE'S GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"

"BILL JUST LISTEN TO ME AND COOL-"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO CHARLIE!"

Ginny suddenly sat upright in her bed. The realization hit her like a pitcher of ice water. They knew. They all knew. They knew that she was seeing Draco. She started to panic. How could they have known? Charlie wouldn't have told them! Narcissa promised to keep it a secret, so did Dr. Bloomberg! Had anyone seen them in Diagon Alley last night? Had the barkeeper at The Leaky Cauldron spilled the beans? Before she could think any longer, however, four of her five remaining brothers came barging into her room. All them had faces as red as their hair.

"GINEVRA FUCKING WEASLEY YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!"

"DON'T TALK TO HER LIKE THAT GEORGE!"

She was out of her bed now, wrapping a robe around her to cover herself more. All of her brother's were running at her and she was quickly pushed up against a wall.

"ARE YOU REALLY THAT FUCKING THICK GINNY? DRACO FUCKING MALFOY?"

"DON'T CALL ME THICK!"

"I CAN CALL YOU WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT SINCE YOU'RE DATING A BLOODY DEATH EATER!" 

"EX-DEATH EATER! AND-"

"DOESN'T MATTER!" 

"SHUT IT! ALL OF YOU!"

Charlie had made his way in between his brothers and his sister. He had his wand out and for once in her life, she had no problem being shielded. Charlie completely covered her and he used his free arm to wrap around and hold her close to him. She gladly accepted her brother's help.

"IMMOBULOUS!" 

Charlie pointed his wand at his brothers and fired the hex. They were suddenly rooted at the spot that they stood, but were still able to blink and talk. Next, Charlie put a calming spell on the room so that everyone would simmer down and stop yelling. He had pure rage engraved into his eyes.

"Let. Ginny. Talk. Before. I. Hex. You. All."

All three frozen brothers didn't say a thing so Ginny took the moment of clarity to explain herself. Even more perfect was the fact that both her parents had just come into her room, completely beside themselves. She cleared her throat, feeling the hot tears already welling up in her eyes.

"First off, how the fuck did you lot find out?"

Ron huffed. "The Daily fucking Prophet. It's in my hand."

Ginny looked down to see the paper was indeed rolled in hands. She walked off and swiped it from his hands.

"What page?"

"Small column. Front page, Damnit."

Ginny unrolled the paper and looked for the column. Sure enough, there was a small article on the entire outside edge of the front page, complete with a picture. She looked harder to see that it was a picture of her and Draco in the alley next to the therapy building, kissing. She looked harder. It was taken last night. Someone had been watching them! She suddenly felt very, very exposed. She read over the story.

_Secret Scandal_

_A captivating story by Rita Skeeter_

_Fresh out of school and fresh into love, former enemies, Slytherin Prince Draco Malfoy and Gryffindor Princess Ginevra (Ginny) Weasley, were seen snogging in a back alley late last night. After further investigation, it has been confirmed that the power duo has been having a secret affair for almost a year now. After interviewing the bar keep at The Leaky Cauldron, Rita Skeeter discovered the juicy details that everyone wants to hear. "They've been coming here for months," said the bar keep. "They stopped coming about four or five months ago, most likely to go off on their own, but yeah. Their little love affair started here." Love affair. That was definitely the way to describe their love. Ginny, who most notably dated the famous Harry Potter, AKA the War Hero, the Chosen One, or the Boy Who Lived, was in a two year relationship with him before deciding to date his known enemy. It seems that the youngest Weasley has a knack for drama. Some could even speculate that she is simply dating the Malfoy heir to get revenge on her ex. That would certainly explain why Mr. Potter has been moping around the Ministry and his Auror office for months. This little love affair, which is a full on serious relationship by now, may cause a bigger reaction than both teenagers had anticipated. Nevertheless, Rita WILL keep her lovely readers updated on the famous couple's relationship. Happy reading!_

The tears immediately began flowing as she read through the article. That cold hearted, gutless…bitch! How could she completely ruin their lives like that? It wasn't even about her and Draco anymore, it was also about their friend and families. And how the Hell would Harry react once he saw this? This was her worst nightmare. Her mother ran over to her and wrapped her up in her arms.

"Ginny, why didn't you tell us about this?"

"B-because I didn't think you g-guys would love me anymore. I knew t-that they would act like this." She gestured towards her frozen brothers. "I d-didn't want anyone to get h-hurt." She pulled away from her mother and looked her directly in the eyes. "I know you d-don't want to hear t-this, but I l-love him mum. I'm _in love_ w-with him."

Mrs. Weasley brought her daughter back into her chest and hugged her tightly.

"I am your mother, Ginny. I will always love you, no matter who you love. Now, lets talk about this after we've all calmed down. Charlie, fix your brothers. Family meeting in the kitchen, now."

o.O.o

Draco's mother knocked on his door before entering his bedroom. She glided over to his bed with a stern look on her face. He slowly sat up in bed, puzzled by her facial expression.

"What is it?"

"You made the front page."

She tossed him the Daily Prophet and sat on the edge of his bed. He picked it up and scanned the page until his eyes fell on a picture of him and Ginny locking lips in the alley. His mind started racing as he quickly scanned over the article. After it was finished he looked up at his mother to see a look of pure terror on her face. He could feel his throat start to close up as the reality came to him.

"Shit."


	29. Letters

All the Weasleys, save for Percy, were sitting tensely around the kitchen table. Mrs. Weasley had confiscated all their wands and locked them in her magical trunk so that the temptation to hex each other was gone. She came and sat down next to her daughter, prepared to fight for her. Of course Mrs. Weasley never liked the Malfoys, but she was at least willing to hear her daughter out. That more than any of the men in the family could say. Charlie was on Ginny's other side, tightly holding her hand in his. Mrs. Weasley took a hold of the conversation and began.

"I want you all to have an open mind about this, you hear me? There are reasons why Ginny has been seeing Draco and I want you all to listen to her or so help me God. Ginny, start from the beginning."

The witch took a deep breath but didn't look at her brothers. She kept her head down.

"We met again at therapy. We weren't friends right away. It took some getting use to. Then we started to get over the past and move foreword. He helped me stop drinking, you guys. He helped me get better. We were just going to be friends, that's it, I swear. Then…then Harry hit me and I felt like I was going to spiral back into my own ways. Draco was there for me! He made sure that I was okay. It…it just sort of happened, I guess. I helped him get over his fear of going out in public again. We started hanging out after therapy at the Leaky Caldron and around Diagon Alley. Aubrielle Song actually saw us together once. Then it turned into something more. We were really careful about it. I have no idea how Rita Skeeter could have seen us last night. We were so safe."

The tears were lightly streaming from her eyes as she spoke. She hated that her family was mad at her. Her dad shook his head and looked at her.

"Did anyone else know that you two were together?"

"Narcissa did."

"She did?" 

"Yes. And after meeting her formally, she realized that the old rules are bull. She accepts me and approves of us being together. She likes me a lot. She's been keeping it a secret too because she knew that something big would happen once word got out."

"How long has she known for?"

"A couple of months."

"Anyone else?"

Ginny gulped. She had no idea what they would say if she told them Charlie knew. But it seemed that he had different plans because he flat out told them himself.

"I did. I knew from the very beginning. Ginny confided in me after every encounter with him."

Bill looked at his little brother with pure shock on his face. "How come you never said anything? You know that she was in a dangerous situation."

"It wasn't my secret to tell, Bill. And I was always there for her. If she needed help or needed to get out of it, I was more than willing to step in."

There was a strained silence that lingered at the table. Charlie continued.

"Didn't you all see how HAPPY she was? Every single time she came back from therapy, she was practically glowing and I know that we haven't seen like this in years! Can't you bull headed idiots see that? Can't you let these old grudges go? And obviously, if Narcissa approves and has been protecting them, she's put the grudge to rest as well. Stop being so fucking thick you guys."

"Charlie-"

"No Dad. It's true. I'm tired of these boys trying to dictate her life. She's 18. She's an adult. She can choose who she can see and not see. You guys don't have the right to step in and mess everything up."

"Charlie, we're her brothers, her FAMILY. If we feel like she is in danger or making a bad decision we have the bloody right to tell her and-"

"And nothing. Yes, you can TELL her but you can't physically do anything. Besides, she isn't in danger. She's been with him for almost a year. They've been great to each other. Let it go."

"It's not that easy!"

"BUT IT IS RON!" 

There was a sudden change in attention when a large barn owl came swooping through the open kitchen window. There was a letter in its beak addressed to Ginny. She cautiously got up and took it from its beak. It took off as quickly as it came. She opened it up and read it.

_Ginny, _

_ You are making a terrible decision. We need to talk immediately. I'll be at the Burrow in an hour or two._

_ Hermione_

Hermione angrily threw the letter at Charlie. Just as he had finished reading it, another owl came swooping in. This one was jet black and had a parchment tied around its ankle. Ginny untied it and unrolled the letter.

_Ginny, _

_I know that you are with him against your will. You're too smart for this. We'll be at the Burrow by nightfall. Stay strong._

_ Neville and Hannah_

Again, Ginny threw the discouraging letter to her brother. He read that one as well but was interrupted by a third owl. Ginny felt like crying with every letter that came. They were almost all the same, saying that she was making a mistake, it was a misunderstanding, she was doing it against her will… It was terrible. She got letters from Luna, the Patil twins, Lavender Brown, Katie Bell, Oliver Wood, and Michael Corner. The last letter that came though was the one that was the worst. It wasn't even addressed to her either. It was addressed to Ron. He read it before setting it down and going up to his room. Ginny gingerly picked it up and read it.

_Ron, _

_I've already talked to Dean and Seamus. We want to attack that git's Manor TONIGHT. He will not get away with this. Not if I have anything to say about it._

_ Harry_

She put the letter down in terror and quickly ran up to her room, covering her face as the tears streamed down. She ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She quickly rummaged through her side dresser before pulling out a quill, inkwell, and parchment roll. She scribbled a quick note to Draco, warning him of Harry's plan, and sent it away on an owl before flopping onto her bed and sobbing.

o.O.o

Draco was sitting at the owl landing in his backyard, receiving letter after letter. Most of them were from his friends, Blaise, Pansy, and Theo, claiming that he was mad and needed help. He also received a letter from the Greengrass sisters absolutely bashing Ginny to no end. He spotted another owl in the sky and patiently waited for it to land on the wooden post. He took the letter from it and it soared away. His eyes widened in horror as he read Ginny's letter. He quickly took out his wand and cast the protective enchantment that protected the Manor before sprinting back inside to warn his mother.


	30. Choosing Sides

Ginny was sobbing into her pillow, letting it soak all the way through. She could hear her family fighting and screaming at each other in the kitchen. By the sounds of it, Charlie and her mum were on her side. They were trying to convince the others that the past shouldn't define us anymore, that she was genuinely happy. It broke her heart hearing her dad scream at her mum.

"HIS FATHER IS LUCIOUS BLOODY MALFOY!"

"And his father is in the loony bin, Arthur! SHE ISN'T DATING LUCIOUS; SHE'S DATING DRACO! They are two completely different people!"

"He's still a Malfoy mum!"

"I don't care George! You boys need to open your damn minds, for Merlin sake! SHE'S HAPPY! She's in love! IT'S YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD AND YOU ARE WILLING TO HURT THE PERSON THAT IS KEEPING HER GOING! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU BOYS!"

She could also hear Charlie and Ron having their own row, which was not going any better. Ron was just too stubborn and too set in his ways. Draco had called his girlfriend a mudblood, his aunt had tortured her at the Manor. He verbally abused his best friend whenever he had the chance, and he never failed to remind him that his family was poor. Ron would never let those things go, no matter how much Draco had changed. Ginny suddenly heard someone coming up the stairs and grabbed for her wand. The only people that she trusted right now were her mum and Charlie and she could still hear both of them fighting downstairs. Whoever was coming up, was someone that was not on her side. She turned around, wand pointed at her door, when Bill came into view. He saw her with her wand pointed and put his hands up.

"Put that bloody thing down, Gin!" 

"No! You hate me! You all fucking hate me! You're all trying to hurt me!" 

Bill frowned as her saw her begin to cry again. He lowered his hands and took a cautious step into her room. He shut the door behind him.

"Gin, please. I came up here to tell you that…that I love you and that I'm on your side."

She lowered her wand, a sudden feeling of hope swelling up in her chest.

"You are?"

"Yes." Bill walked over and sat at the foot of her bed. He placed his hand on her knee and weakly smiled. "You're happy, REALLY happy. I like you better when you're that way. Ginny, if what you say is true, and Draco helped you quit drinking and brought you out of your depression, then he is more than good enough for you and has my approval. He's obviously changed for the better and I'm not about to deny you him. It's your life after all. The reason they are like this is because you're the baby. They want to all be the big bad brothers who protect you and they feel that this is a situation where you need to be protected. Just stay strong and know that I have your back, okay?"

"Thank you s-so much B-Bill."

She melted into his chest and he brought his arms around her, making her feel safe and secure for the first time all day. He squeezed her tight, wanting to push the pain and worry out of her.

"And I'm going to do everything I can to stop the boys from going to Malfoy Manor tonight. Charlie's with me on that too."

"I love you guys so much."

Ginny pulled away from her brother and smiled a genuine smile at him. Another person on her side. They were interrupted by a sudden knock on her door and it slowly creaked open. Ginny looked to see Hermione standing in the door way, arms crossed over her chest.

"Shit." She breathed.

o.O.o

Blaise, Theo, Pansy, Draco, Astoria, Daphne, and Narcissa were all seated around the large dining room table at Malfoy Manor. Tension was definitely high, but it wasn't as bad as Draco thought it was. He was getting the most slack from the Greengrass girls, mostly because he knew that both of them would rather he be with one of them than Ginny. He was, after all, the acclaimed 'Slytherin Prince.' All he could do at this point was thank Merlin that Blaise was his mate through everything and approved of his relationship.

"You know what? I'm happy for you mate. She's a good girl. She really is. I bet you she levels you out pretty well, yeah?"

"Yeah. She really does. I've never felt this way with a girl before."

Draco could see Pansy frown out of the corner of his eye. She would get over it. Theo shifted in his seat uncomfortably, looking from Pansy to Draco.

"So…why did you ask us all to come here on such a short notice? What was the call for the emergency?"

Draco sighed and took out the letter that Ginny had written him. He unrolled the parchment, cleared his throat, and read it out loud.

_Draco,_

_My family is not taking this well and it seems like the only ones who are on my side are Charlie and my mum. Harry owled Ron. He is gathering up some friends. Dean and Seamus are among them and I'm pretty sure that George and Oliver will join in too. They are planning on attacking your Manor…tonight. Charlie and I are going to do anything we can to stop them. I'm so sorry about this Draco. I never wanted any of this to happen. I love you._

_ Ginny_

Draco didn't read the last part, keeping that for himself. He put the letter down and looked at his friends. Blaise had the look of pure determination on his face while his mother sat calmly at the other end of the table.

"I don't know what to do."

"Don't know what to do? You fight them Draco!"

"It's not that easy Astoria."

"Why not?"

"Because people are going to get hurt if that happens and it's not going to resolve anything. Ginny and I are going to stay together no matter what. Why her brother and ex are convinced fighting will solve it is a mystery to me. Don't you see? This is so much bigger than we are anticipating it to be."

"Draco, you can't just let them come in here and hurt you without fighting back."

"But I don't want to hurt them! Besides, the wards on this Manor are too strong from them to break. There is no way that they are going to even make it on the grounds."

Another silence.

"I say you meet with them. Ron and Harry, I mean."

Everyone's heads whipped around to face Narcissa. What did she just say?

"What?"

"You need to talk to them. You need to sort out this problem before it becomes any worse. I'll make sure that there are people there to protect you if things get out of hand, but this needs to happen. Everything has been leading up to this, really."

Draco stared at his mother with his mouth slightly agape. At the pit of his stomach, he knew she was right. She got up from the table and went into the office to fetch something. She came back a few seconds later with an inkwell, quill, and roll of parchment in her hands.

"Write Ginny. Tell her about setting up a meeting. She needs to be there too to vouch for you. Tell them to meet us outside our gate and that we'll let them in after we've collected their wands. Tell her that it will happen tonight at sundown."

Draco stared at her before taking the quill, dipping it in the ink, and writing down what she had just told him.


	31. The Return of Harry

Bill looked from Hermione to Ginny with a pained expression on his face. Ginny took a deep inhale and looked at her friend, not really wanting to have a conversation with her, but knowing that it needed to happen. She nodded at her eldest brother, cuing him to leave, and he got off her bed and walked right past Hermione without saying a word to her. Hermione, with her arms still crossed, came over and sat at the spot that Bill had just left. Ginny took her wand, pointed it at her door, and shut it forcefully before putting a muffling hex on her room. Hermione's stare was practically burning a hole through Ginny's soul. She wasn't going to take it though. No way in Hell.

"Look, Hermione, if you're here to bitch at me and yell at me and belittle me, than I don't want to hear. I have heard it from everyone else in my family and I really don't want to start hearing it from my friends."

Hermione uncrossed her arms and sighed. "I just want to know the facts."

"Well here they are Hermione. I met Draco again at therapy. We became friends. I had no intentions to be romantic with him. Harry fucking slapped me. We broke up. Draco helped me deal with that. Draco helped me quit drinking. Draco helped me get out of my depression. I fell for him. He's changed. People need to get over it."

Hermione sat silently with her lips pursed. Ginny knew that she was going to try to be her mum just like everyone else. She waited patiently for her to say something.

"Look. I don't approve, clearly, but you being with Draco isn't my biggest concern right now. Right now I am worried about my boyfriend who is planning on stomping over to Malfoy Manor and fighting without a plan. You know that's he's doing it all for you, right?"

"If he were really doing it for me, Hermione, he wouldn't be doing it AT ALL! I don't want him to fight Draco. I LOVE DRACO. But he won't fucking grow up and listen to what I've been trying to tell him. I don't need protecting. I'm not in danger! He's doing this for himself Hermione, believe me. He's been waiting for a n excuse to duel Draco and this is just the one that he needed. He's doing all this for fucking pride, not me."

Ginny stood up and walked over to her bedroom door. She opened it wide and opened up her arm to usher out her friend.

"Go. If you want to stop Ron, do it. Talking to me won't solve anything. You obviously know what I want."

Hermione stood up with a shocked expression on her face. She went to walk out of the room but stopped in the doorframe.

"Ginny…when did you become like this?"

"When I decided to live my life how I fucking want it."

And with those biting words she shut the door on her friend's face. She stomped back to her bed, now more frustrated than anything else, but didn't have much time to thing because there was a light rapping on her bedroom window. She walked over to see an owl perch on the sill with a letter tied to its left leg. Ginny untied the string and took the letter, letting the owl go back to where it had come from. She unrolled it and immediately recognized Draco's neat and proper handwriting. She read over the letter, hers eyes widening as she read further and further. He wanted to meet with Harry and Ron? He actually wanted to be in the same room as them! She kept reading. It needs to happen…blah blah blah… they should try and solve things peacefully first…yadda yadda… I love you, Draco. Ginny's entire body was tingling at the thought of her boyfriend meeting up with her heated ex and even more heated brother. She took the letter, rolled it up, and ran down the stairs.

"Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!"

But Ron had reached her first.

"I saw that bloody owl fly in! I know that prat wrote you! What does he fucking want! What is he writing you about!"

"Shove off Ron! I need to talk to Charlie first before I tell you anything!"

"It didn't use to be like that! You use to tell me everything! When did it change, huh?"

"When you started being an arse! CHARLIE!"

The dragon tamer came bounding into the room and towards his sister. He immediately stepped in between his brother and sister, not liking the situation that he just stepped into.

"What is it Gin?"

"I just got a letter from Draco. I need you to read it. I need your advice."

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW THAT OWL WAS FROM YOUR PRICK OF A BOYFRIEND!" 

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH RON!" 

"STOP IT!" 

Molly's voice rang above everyone else's, causing them to stop dead in their tracks. She shuffled over to her kids that were fighting, her face red from rage.

"Ron for the love of Merlin, CALM DOWN BEFORE I SMACK YOU UPSIDE YOUR HEAD. Ginny, if you have an important letter from Draco, I want to see it and I think the rest of the family deserves to hear it. DINNER TABLE. NOW."

The family once again came and sat around the large wooden table. Hermione was now with them, sitting sternly next to Ron, trying to mellow him out. Ginny unrolled the letter and was about to read it, but there was a sudden knock on the door. Ron got up and opened the door and Ginny's stomach dropped into her feet. Ron nodded at Harry, who stepped into the house, and followed his friend back to the dining room table.

"You're just in time mate. The bastard just sent her a letter."

Ginny nervously lifted her gaze until she made full eye contact with Harry. This was, unbelievably, the first time that they had seen each other since he slapped her. Ginny had always wondered about this moment, trying to predict how she would feel when she finally saw him again. There was a moment when their eyes locked when time completely stopped. She had so much anger towards him. He broke her. He verbally and physically abused her. He single handedly took away her fire. And she didn't feel anything. There were no more feelings for him, no tingles, no butterflies. Draco had been the one to give her her fire back. Draco had been the one to fix the damage that Harry had caused. Draco completely had her heart now, and that moment in time cemented it for her. She broke eye contact with her ex, cleared her throat, and found new courage in telling them what Draco had written to her.

"Draco wants to meet up with everyone, namely Harry and Ron. He wants to try and settle this peacefully, with words. He doesn't want to fight anyone. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt."

"What a pansy…"

"No, no Ron. He's being the bigger person."

Every single head whipped towards Mr. Weasley. He had a very matter of fact look on his face. Ron stared at his dad in disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me. He's being the bigger man. He's trying to do things peacefully, which is more than I can say about the lot of you. Ginny, I'm taking control of this matter. Write Draco. Tell him we'll all meet him. There will be no wands. No magic is allowed. He is to come here tomorrow at noon. Meeting over."

Her father stood up, steam practically coming out of his ears, walked outside, and slammed the front door so hard that a near by vase fell and shattered. Ginny looked at the shards of porcelain on the floor. That was a perfect representation of her life right now.


	32. St Mungo's

Ginny was beyond ecstatic that he father finally put some reason into her brothers' heads. They were going to have a peaceful talk with Draco, without wands, and finally end their damn feud. She was nervous, however, that the meeting wouldn't happen because the hate letters were flowing in like a steady stream of water. She wasn't getting them from her friends anymore, no that had ended, but she was getting them instead from Draco's friends and other former Slytherins. Millicent Bulstrode sent her a particularly nasty one, threatening her life. She also got letters from Marcus Flint, Adrian Pucey, Terence Higgs, Gregory Goyle, and the creepy Carrow girls. It didn't stop and it never let up. The letters got so threatening that Mrs. Weasley put a protective enchantment on the Burrow and Bill and Charlie were assigned to stay up all night to watch over the house and to make sure that no one tried to enter the house unwanted. Ginny's anxiety started creeping back up and she tried as hard as she could to keep it down. She never wanted any of this happen and she felt so guilty that her family was in danger like this. This was all her fault and the hate started reminding her of the war. She had to constantly calm herself down for fear of having a panic attack like the ones that she use to have. She paced her room, holding her forehead in one hand while the other hand rested on her hip.

"No. NO! This is NOT the war Ginny. You are okay. You are safe. You have your family. No one is fighting; no one is dying. There will not be another war. Voldemort is dead. There will not be another war. There will not be another war…"

o.O.o

Draco slowly walked the halls of St. Mungo's, lightly shaking. His dad's room was right ahead and he was trying to mentally prepare himself for what was about to happen. He had received an urgent letter from his father, simply asking for his son to come visit him immediately. There was no way that Draco could defy him right now. Not in his state and given the current situation. He stopped in front of the door and read the plague that was fastened on it.

Lucious Malfoy

Draco gulped before knocking. He could hear someone moving from behind the door and finally heard a faint, "come in." He slowly opened the door to see his father sitting in a large armchair by the window. His face, due to the constant meals, had rounded out since the war but he still had dark circles under his eyes.

"H-hello father."

"Draco."

Draco nervously sat down in the chair across from him. He immediately noticed the Daily Prophet sitting on the small coffee table in between the two chairs.

"I've come to talk to you about-"

"Ginny."

"Yes…Ginny."

His dad picked up the newspaper and glared the picture of his son kissing the youngest Weasley sibling.

"How could you, Draco?"

"I love her dad."

"And I'm asking you, how could you? How could you be so weak as to let yourself fall in love with that filthy blood traitor?" 

"Don't you dare call her that!" 

"That's what she is! I thought I raised you better! I thought I taught you to stay with purebloods!"

"SHE IS A PURE BLOOD!" 

"BUT SHE IS ALSO A BLOOD TRAITOR WHICH IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE."

Things got heated way quicker than Draco had anticipated. He knew that there was going to be screaming and rowing, but not this quickly. The tension hung in the air like a thick morning mist. His dad turned to him, fury in his eyes.

"I forbid you to see her."

"Excuse me?"

"I am your father, Draco, and I forbid you to see her!"

Draco stood up out of his seat, his bloody boiling under his skin.

"Didn't you hear me, father?" He spat the last word at him. "I SODDING LOVE HER!" 

"I don't give a damn! You're not allowed to see her! You are my son and I am telling you that-"

"NO! NO! YOU ARE NOT MY BLOODY FATHER! YOU ARE A MANIPULATIVE AND CONIVING MAN WHO VALUES POWER OVER HIS OWN FAMILY. YOU MADE YOUR OWN SON A DEATH EATER JUST SO YOU COULD GAIN RESPECT FROM THE WORD MAN THAT EVER FUCKING LIVED! YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER, YOU ARE DICTATOR!"

Draco took a couple big breaths, trying to calm himself down, but it wasn't working. He was getting way too worked up about the whole thing and he was on a roll now. Everything that he had wanted to say to his dad over these past couple years was coming out now in this one moment in time.

"How dare you talk to me like that!"

"HOW DARE I? HOW DARE I? HOW DARE YOU SIT THERE AND DECIDE WHO I SEE WHEN YOU ARE HERE, STUCK IN THE FUCKING LOONY BIN! YOU ARE PSYCOTIC! YOU ARE INSANE! YOU…you…"

Draco broke off, hot tears streaming down his face. "You can't decide my life for me, not anymore. I'm going to see her. If that means never seeing you again, so be it. She is well worth it. You need to learn to move on from the past; Mum has. She loves Ginny, adores her, actually. So until you can learn to leave the past where it belongs, this is goodbye…forever."

Draco promptly stood up, walked out of his father's room, and slammed the door shut behind him.

o.O.o

Everyone was asleep in the Burrow except for Ginny and her father. She was downstairs, too nervous and too full of anxiety to sleep, and he was keeping her company. She had been crying or screaming most of the day and even though she was 18, she was still his baby girl. Ginny was clutching her mug of tea like a lifeline. She sipped the soothing liquid, loving the burn that it caused her insides. The intense heat was a reminder that she was awake and the day hadn't been some fucked up dream. Her dad sat down next to her and she immediately lolled over and slumped into his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and sighed.

"Quite the day, yes?"

She snorted. "That's the understatement of the century."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why didn't you tell us when you first started seeing him?"

"Because I knew that that would happen. I knew that my brothers would jump to conclusions before listening to me. Besides, I wanted us to be fully committed before anyone found out. We both love each other dad. That love is what's going to keep us strong through all this…"

"Shit."

"Yeah, shit."

There was a slight pause. "What was it like for you to see Harry again?"

"Weird."

"Is this the first-"

"Time I've seen him since he slapped me? Yeah."

"I've got to know Gin…did you feel anything? Seeing him?"

"No. And that's how I know dad. That's how I know that I love Draco. I didn't feel a thing. There were no old feelings, nothing."

Mr. Weasley stood up straighter so Ginny was forced to get off of him. He put his mug in the sink and walked over towards the stairs. He stepped onto the landing and turned to face his only daughter.

"Just to let you know, tomorrow, when Draco meets with us, I'll be there for YOU. I'll be on your side."

Ginny smiled wide, the first genuine smile that she had shown all day.

"Thanks dad."


	33. Let the Meeting Begin

Ginny was pacing the family room, her palms sweating and her mind racing. She checked her watch for what had to be the hundredth time in the last five minutes. She was to Apparate to Diagon Alley and meet Draco before taking them both back to the Burrow. The temporary defensive hexes were still active and Ginny had to take Draco through them or else he would dissolve into thin air, and she obviously didn't want that. Her brothers, Harry, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, Neville, and her mum were already sitting at the dinner room table. Most of their faces were red with anticipation and Ron's knuckles were white from clenching them so hard. Mr. Weasley walked over to his daughter and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's time."

She nodded nervously before stepping outside of the kitchen door. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before spiraling into the night and landing in Diagon Alley. She landed hard at the entrance of the therapy building and immediately saw Mrs. Malfoy, Blaise, Pansy, and Draco standing there. Originally Draco was going to come by himself, but after Ron invited his entire gang to the meeting, Ginny told him to bring some reinforcements as well. She nervously smiled at the lot of them and Draco came over to quickly kiss her on the cheek. She took his hand in her own and they created a link between the five of them. She looked at all of them.

"Ready?"

"On your go."

"One…two…"

And they were already going back to the Burrow, back to the battlefield. Ginny made it through the shield with ease but did not step into her house right away. She turned back to the Slytherins.

"Alright everyone, tensions are going to run high. Most of my brothers are beside themselves. Remember, my mum, dad, Bill, and Charlie are on our side. George and Ron obviously aren't and neither are the rest of the Gryffindors in there, including Hermione."

Narcissa walked foreword and engulfed Ginny into her arms.

"We're here for you Ginny. Remember that."

"I'm not. I'm here for Draco."

Narcissa turned and faced Pansy who had her arms crossed over her chest.

"If you're here for Draco, Pansy, than you are also here for Ginny considering the fact that it is them against the world right now. Now, lets get this meeting underway. Something tells me that it's going to be a long one."

Ginny nodded and took Draco's hand into her own before turning the knob and opening the door. Upon walking into her house, Ginny could physically sense every single person tense up. Ginny looked over to see Ron's eyes glued onto Draco, who was still holding Ginny's hand. George had his eyes connected with Blaise's, obviously not fond with the fact that Draco had brought back up. Mr. Weasley walked over to the Slytherins.

"Wands please."

Draco, Pansy, Blaise, and Narcissa all retrieved their wands and handed them to Mr. Weasley. He walked over to a large trunk in the family room, unlocked it by doing an enchantment that only he knew, and added their wands to the rest of the wands already in there. He came back to the table and took his seat at the head. He ushered Narcissa to the other head of the table, Blaise sitting on her left and Draco sitting on her right. Ginny came and sat down next to Draco and Pansy sat next to Blaise. Ginny looked down the table at Harry. He had his head down, refusing to look at anyone, and his hands we clasped tightly to the edge of the table. Draco reached under the table and grabbed Ginny's hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. The tension was palpable as a silence lingered. Finally Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat and turned to look at Draco.

"Draco, I believe you have something to say."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"I've come to make a peace offering of sorts. I'm going to be blunt when I say this…but I love Ginny. I am IN LOVE with her."

Ron stifled a snort at the last comment. Ginny could feel her face getting hot. She knew that her temper would be tested at this meeting, but not right out of the gate.

"Ron? Got something to say than?"

"He's such a bloody liar! How can you guys all sit here, this git who TORTURED us and our family all through school, and believe every fucking word that he says-"

"Ronald! Language!" 

"NO MUM! This is bollocks! I can't believe that you are even letting him in our house! He should be banned from here, banned from seeing Ginny! He should stay away from her because he is no fucking good! HE WAS A BLOODY DEATH EATER! Or did you all just suddenly forget that?"

"I've changed Ron, I promise. I don't know what I have to do to prove it to you, but I will. Look, I understand that what I did in the past was wrong and rude, but that's the past. I'm different now. My father is out of the picture now and he was the one that always pushed me to behave a certain way but now that he-"

"Oh! You mean LUCIOUS FUCKING MALFOY who was also a sodding death eater!? Yeah! Would love him to become a part of this family too!" 

"He won't."

Everyone turned and looked at a poised and calm Mrs. Malfoy. She had her hands neatly folded on the table and hadn't even tinted pink yet, unlike everyone else at the table.

"Excuse me Narcissa?"

"If what Draco and Ginny have is real and they end up lasting forever, Lucious will not be a part of their lives, period."

Draco knit his brows together. He knew that he wasn't on good terms with his father, but he had figured that his mum still was.

"Mum? Is there something I'm missing?"

"Yes, Draco. I wanted to tell you this months ago, but you were so happy with Ginny and I didn't want to interrupt your happiness."

She paused. Draco nodded his head towards her.

"I filed for an official magical divorce from your father 6 months ago."

Draco's mouth dropped open. He hadn't seen that coming. His mother had always talked about how much she loved his father. They were inseparable. They did everything together. They were genuinely…perfect for each other, even if Draco didn't want to admit it. She continued.

"So there, Ron. Lucious is out of the picture for good. Any other reasons why you feel that Ginny and Draco shouldn't be together?"

Ron clutched the edge of the table and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Where should I begin?"


	34. Harry's Final Word

Ron's knuckles were white. He wasn't trying to hide his anger, that was sure, but Ginny was pretty sure that it was taking every once of strength in his body to not jump down the table and pounce on Draco. He gritted his teeth.

"Draco is a slimy, no good for nothing, bastard Ginny!" 

"RONALD!" 

"Don't try and tell me otherwise! I personally was a fucking victim of his taunting and teasing and bullying for years and I know you were too! Don't you remember all the insults he threw at us?! Don't you remember how often he shoved it in our faces that we were poor, or scum, or blood traitors?! HOW CAN YOU JUST LET THAT GO?! He made our lives Hell at Hogwarts!"

"He's fucking changed Ron! Bill has accepted it! Charlie has accepted! Mum and dad have accepted it! WHY CAN'T YOU LET THE PAST GO?!" 

"Because you have!"

Ginny screwed her eyebrows together.

"What's that suppose to mean?!" 

"It means that you are being too fucking naïve to look past his façade and good looks Gin!"

"You think I'm good looking Weasley?" Draco gave his iconic smirk that everyone knew too well. Ginny forcefully slapped him on his forearm.

"You're not helping Draco!" 

"See?! He's still a sodding git!"

"Merlin, Weasley, I was just joking! Calm down!" 

"DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN FERRET!" 

"RONALD!"

Ginny dropped her head in her hands as the screaming continued. She wanted to just curl up in a ball and cry until it was all over. She was stuck in the middle of the worst situation that she could possibly be in. On one side was her family, whom she obviously loved dearly and would do anything for. On the other side was her boyfriend, who she was obviously in love with, and wanted nothing more than to be with him forever. They were the people that she loved the most in her life, fighting viciously against each other. Why did she deserve this? All she wanted was a normal life! She had gone through so much at such a young age, having her mind and body possessed by Lord Voldemort himself, dating the world's most famous young wizard, fighting in one of the biggest wizarding wars to date, and watching her friends and family die in front of her eyes. She overcame alcoholism, physical and emotional abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. She wasn't sure if she could handle much more. She was taking deep breaths, fighting back the familiar sting of tears in her eyes, when she suddenly felt Draco's hand on her back. He started rubbing circles there, trying to calm her down. It didn't last very long, however, because George interrupted.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

"GEORGE!"

"I can touch her if I want! She's my GIRLFRIEND." 

"NO YOU CAN NOT!" 

Ginny perked her head up, her anxiety quickly turning into rage at her brothers.

"Yes he can George. He can and he HAS! Stop trying to deny that this is happening! We're dating, we're in a relationship, we're together! ACCEPT IT AND STOP TRYING TO FIGHT IT YOU CLOSE-MINDED ARSE!

George quickly inhaled and there was a sudden silence around the table. So far most of the fighting had been between Ginny, Draco, George, and Ron. Everyone else was staying relatively quiet, which was surprising to Ginny. She slightly turned her head so she could look down the table at Harry. He still had his head in his hands and hadn't said a damn thing the entire time. Why? Ginny was certain that he would be arguing against her new boyfriend and siding with his best friend. It just wasn't in his nature to stay silent about something, especially something that certainly affected him so deeply. Almost as if he read her mind, Ron turned to his best friend.

"And why haven't you said anything yet Harry? She's your ex-girlfriend and he's your archenemy! How the Hell are you not furious at this!?"

Harry looked up at Ron. Ginny could tell that his eyes were slightly glazed over, like he was fighting back tears as well. What he said next shocked everyone.

"Malfoy isn't my archenemy, Ron. Voldemort was."

Ron's jaw dropped. "Well…that's not the point! How are you okay with this?!"

Ginny turned and looked Harry directly in the eyes. Why was he okay with this? 

"I never said I was okay with this I just-"

"You haven't said anything at all!"

"Because I've been thinking! Lay off!"

"Thinking about what?! There is nothing to think about!"

Harry shook his head and opening his mouth, as if to say something, but then close it. Ginny was staring at him, willing him to speak up and say something. _'Please Harry, say it. I want you so say it! What are you thinking? Please Harry, please!'_

She looked at him with pleading eyes and at the exact moment, he looked back at her. They had that second of connection and Harry made up his mind to speak up.

"Ginny, I love you, you know that. I always have and I always will."

"I-I know." Ginny could feel Draco tense up next to her.

"And if I could go back in time and change things between us, I obviously would. I would have treated you so much better and I wouldn't have hit you."

"Harry-" 

"But I can tell that even if we had the opportunity to do that, that you chose not to do that."

Ginny sucked in hard. Well, he was right about that.

"And even though this doesn't sit right with me, AT ALL.." he paused, taking a deep breath. "I can tell that you're happy and in love. I see the way you look at him. You use to look at me like that. He gave you back the spark that I took away from you. I just don't understand why him? Why Draco?"

Ginny was quick to respond but chose her words carefully as to not hurt Harry's feelings. "Well, for one, it's the exact reason that you just said. He brought me back from the darkest part of my life Harry. He DID give me back my spark. He understands what it's like to be a victim of the war. I mean, we all do, but he suffered a lot of the same things I did. Look, we didn't intend for this to turn into what it did. It started off as an innocent friendship, I swear. But then there was something more and it was so natural. When you feel that, you don't let that pass. No way. I just…I can't explain it without sounding…well, cheesy."

Harry took it all in and shook his head at the appropriate moments. At that moment in time, it was like they were the only people in the room. Harry and Ginny were connecting with each other so intensely that everyone else in the room melted away. Ginny held her breath as she waited for his response.

"And you're happy?"

"The most happy I've been in years."

He nodded his head. "And he treats you right? With respect and everything?"

"Absolutely."

"And you really DO love him, Gin?"

She nodded her head defiantly. "Without a doubt in my mind."

Harry sighed and smiled the tiniest smile. "And that's all I want for you in life Ginny, is to be happy, respected, and loved. If Draco is that man to do all those things for you, then I approve."

Ginny beamed at her ex boyfriend as Ron's fists hit the table.


	35. The Lone Weasley

"Well, well, looks like the bloody Chosen One finally has his head on straight."

"Shut it Zabini," Draco snapped at his best friend. He turned back to Harry was nothing but complete sincerity in his voice. "Thank you Harry. That really means more to me than you know."

"WOULD YOU STOP WITH THE DAMN ACT, MALFOY?"

Ron was absolutely fuming with pure rage. His face was an impossibly dark red color, and he was now standing on his feet. Ginny's temporary moment of happiness, due to Harry's acceptance, was quickly dashed by yet another outburst from Ron. At this point, she was ready to jump across the table herself and deck him right in the face. Charlie quickly jumped to his feet as well, creating a barrier between his little brother and his little sister. Mr. Weasley was up as well, walking around and putting his hands on Ron's tensed shoulders.

"Sit down son before you do something irrational!"

"I WANT TO DO SOMETHING IRRATIONAL! I WANT TO FUCKING POUND THAT GIT! I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THAT FOR AGES! He maliciously bullied me for years and years and I have just been waiting for the day when we are locked in the same room without our wands!"

"So that's what this is!"

Ginny pushed Charlie aside and leaned over the table. Draco quickly gripped her hip, trying to make her sit down, but it was use.

"You don't even fucking care about me and my well being Ron! YOU DON'T! THIS IS ALL BECAUSE YOU HAVE A STUPID LITTLE GRUDGE! YOU WANTED THIS FUCKING SET UP! YOU DID!" She was shaking as her anger reached a record high. "You are the only fucking person in this room who doesn't approve! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?! You are outnumbered! You are in the wrong and for once in your god damn life admit it!"

"I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE! GEORGE HATES IT! HERMIONE HATES IT! Right, guys?"

He whipped his face around to look at Hermione. She was another person who hadn't said anything all night. She looked from Harry, to Ron, to Draco, to Ginny, and then back to Ron. She lowered her gaze from and mumbled something that was inaudible. Ron raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"I agree…with Harry."

He was shocked and he instantly felt betrayed. First by his best friend and then by his girlfriend. He turned to his brother.

"George?"

George was opening and closing his mouth, trying to form the words that he was wanting to say. Ginny could tell that he was having a battle inside of himself, trying to figure out what side to talk.

"Look, I hate the git, I really do-"

"HA!" 

"I'm not finished yet, Ron." He took a deep breath. "What Harry said, it made sense mate. I mean, you can't deny the fact that she has been incredibly happy since she started seeing him. She's our old Gin again, back from the dead. I just…I know that I'll never fully approve and it's going to take time for me to get use to it. But…I'm going to get use to it, because Ginny's our sister, our ONLY sister, and I love her no matter what. And I trust her judgment and-"

Ron got out from the bench and stormed towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?! Hermione pleaded at him.

"You don't need to say anything more! This turned from us against Draco to everyone against me! Obviously I'm the one that isn't welcome here! He started storming up the stairs even with people trying to reason with him. Hermione was quickly on his heels, trying to talk some sense into him as he was heading up to his bedroom.

"Please Ron! Just calm down, please!"

"Don't you dare fucking tell me to calm down! I have every right to be furious!"

"Ron please! You're being irrational! You're hurting me! This is just like when we were camping and you left us and-"

"I'm hurting YOU!? You're hurting ME by going against me Hermione! MOVE!"

He brushed past her and darted into his room before slamming the door shut. Ginny could Hermione begin to cry as she continued to pound on his door, begging him to let her in. Narcissa turned to Pansy and Blaise with a collected look on her face.

"I think you two can go home now. Thank you coming for support."

Mr. Weasley went to fetch their wands while the two Slytherins said goodbye to Ginny, Draco, and Narcissa. They got their wands back, exited through the kitchen door, and Apparated into the pit black night. Molly turned and graciously smiled at Harry.

"You too dearie. I don't want you getting hurt by Ron or anyone else."

Harry nodded respectfully and said his goodbyes as well before heading back to Grimmauld Place. Ron had now come out of his bedroom and was stomping back downstairs. Ginny instantly noticed that he had a large bag in his hand that was packed to the brim and it hit her like the Hogwarts Express. He was leaving. He was leaving the Burrow and abandoning them all. Hermione was sobbing now, tears easily rolling off her cheeks and chin.

"PLEASE STAY! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME AGAIN!?" 

"Because obviously I'm on my own and no one wants me here!"

"YES WE DO RON! WE WANT YOU HERE! SWEAR!"

"Leave me alone Hermione!"

He physically pushed her aside and stomped out of the back door.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! PLEASE RON!" 

But the only response that he gave was the swoosh of Apparating away. George, who was also close to Hermione, bustled outside to comfort the crying witch. Draco looked at Mrs. Weasley with a scared look on his face.

"Mrs. Weasley I never meant for any of this to happen. I just wanted to meet up with everyone to prove myself and show you that I love your daughter. I didn't want any of this fighting to happen at all and-"

"Draco, honey, I know. It's not your fault. You're very courageous for coming here and I commend you for being so passionate. Don't worry about Ron, I'll deal with him."

Draco grinned a little to her, appreciating her kindness, before turning to Ginny. Bill and Charlie went outside and Apparated away, going to search for Ron. Mr. Weasley went and gestured Narcissa towards a large couch and they were soon conversing with one another about what had just happened. Ginny looked into her boyfriend's silver eyes. She could see that he was blaming himself. It was clearly written all over his face. She placed his hand in his and made a weak smile.

"Please, love, don't belabor this like I know you will. Things actually went a Hell of a lot better than I thought. Sure, Ron is being a ridiculous prat, but everyone else supports us for the most part. Harry didn't rip at your throat, and Pansy and Blaise behaved themselves. It was a win for us." 

"I'm tearing your family apart."

"No! Don't you dare think that! You are not doing that at all. Ron just needs to cool down and get his head on straight. No one else is fighting Draco."

He shook his head and placed it in his hands. He really did feel terrible. He knew what it was like to have his family rip apart at the seams and he was doing that exact thing to the Weasleys. Sure, he wasn't really fond of a couple of Ginny's brothers, but he loved her. She was his girlfriend. He didn't want to hurt anyone that he loved. He sighed. This fucking sucked.

"Hey, pick your head up. Look at me."

He reluctantly lifted his head and Ginny cupped his chin in her hands.

"You are an amazing person. You have the biggest heart of anyone I know but please, don't stress. Things will be fine with time and know that no matter what, I'll always be there for you."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"Of course."

She brought his face to hers and locked the two of them into a searing kiss. She pulled away and smiled at him.

"Now, go get some sleep. You need it."

"Okay."

He got up to fetch his mother and their wands. Everyone said their goodbye and Narcissa and Molly even hugged each other before the Malfoys left the Burrow and the Weasleys finally went to bed.


	36. Running Away

Ginny's brothers ended up finding Ron at The Leaky Cauldron. He had checked himself into a room already and claimed that he was staying there until his family "came to their senses." No matter how hard Charlie and Bill pleaded, Ron refused to come back to Burrow they arrived back at the Burrow Ron-less. Ginny's insides sunk as she heard the news. Was Draco right? Was this really tearing her family apart? She slowly walked upstairs to her bedroom and shut her bedroom door behind her. She didn't want to think about anything at the moment. She was absolutely exhausted from the long day she had just had so she simply flopped onto her bed and was instantly submersed into a very deep sleep.

"_I-I don't understand!"_

_Her entire body was numb and her ears had a horrid ringing noise in them. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as Draco stood in front of her. He was hysterically crying too and his entire body was shaking from it._

"_I don't want to come in between you and your family! I never wanted any of this to happen! Ron has been DISOWNED. I did that! Ginny the answer is clear."_

"_NO!"_

"_We can't be together!"_

"_NO! DRACO! I love you! You c-can't abandon m-me! Please! I'll lose it! I'll….I'll go back into my depression!"_

_"Ginny, you're family will help you! I can't break you and your family apart! This is good bye Ginny."_

"_NO! PLEASE!"_

_She dropped to her knees and sobbed into her hands as Draco reluctantly turned and walked away from her._

"NO!"

Ginny jolted upright in her bed, covered in cold sweat. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage so hard that she could have sworn that the entire house could hear. She calmed down enough to listen to the deafening silence that was around her. It had to be around 4 in the morning, she was surprised that no one was in her room yet. She fell back into her bed, realizing that she hadn't woken anyone with her scream. She stared up at her ceiling, recounting her newest nightmare. It seemed so real; every piece of it, and the scariest thing was that it was completely reasonable. She could actually picture him doing something like that to save her family. It was his good nature. Ginny huffed and pulled the covers up towards her chin. She closed her eyes, even though she knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep, and silently comforted herself. '_It's okay. That was a nightmare. It's not the real thing. You are fine. You are still with Draco. That was just a nightmare. You're fine. You are fine.'_

But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she still felt, that in the pit of her stomach, that something like that was going to happen.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Ron did not return the following day. Molly in particular was distraught by her son's sudden abandonment, being reminding of Percy when he had done the same things years ago. Charlie and Bill went to go check on him again, but he was still persistent and refused to come home.

Ginny had the same terrifying nightmare about Draco leaving her that night. She woke up, for the second night in a row, in a cold sweat and with her heart beating rapidly. Again she had to calm herself down and, again, she felt that it was all too real of a dream.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Ginny and Hermione were seated at the family's large dining room table along with Mrs. Weasley. They all had steaming mugs of tea and were discussing Ron. This was the first time that Hermione had come to visit after his leaving, and she seemed just as distraught by it as Mrs. Weasley was. Her hair was messing and unkempt, she had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her lips were chapped and pale. It was like the life was slowly ebbing out of her.

"He won't talk to me. I've visited him everyday, almost every other hour, and it's the same. He shoos me away. He wants nothing to do with me right now."

Molly reached out and took Hermione's hand in her own.

"You did nothing wrong dearie. He is ultimately the one in the wrong this time. No one else. He is just stuck too far in the past. It's terribly unfortunate, but this is something that is going to take time for him."

Hermione nodded. "He's let Harry in. Harry's tried to talk some sense in him, but it's no use. What if he can't change? What if he simply refuses to comply?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed. She had thought about that. Hell, everybody had thought about that. What would they do if Ron refused to be a part of the family again? Would they cut ties from him? Simply force him to move back in? Pretend like he didn't exist? Ginny shook her head and walked her empty mug to the sink. He wasn't going to come back unless either her or Draco left. She looked back at her mother and best friend. They were wrecks without Ron. She couldn't stand to see them like this. It wasn't just them either. Her dad didn't really talk that much anymore and George was slowly slipping into a depression again. When Fred died, it had been Ron that kept him going. Now, without Fred AND Ron home, it was his worst nightmare come true. Ginny quickly excused herself and rushed into her bedroom. She took a spare roll and quickly scribbled a note onto it before setting it on her bed. She then pulled out her trunk and began packing it to the brim. She filled it with clothes, toiletries, parchment, ink, quills, and a couple other miscellaneous objects. She shut it tight and pointed her wand at the packed trunk.

"Reducio."

The trunk shook for a moment before shrinking down to roughly the size of a snitch. Ginny took the tiny trunk and stuffed it into the inside pocket of her robe. She slowly walked down the old stairs, trying to not make too much noise. Hermione and her mum were still in the kitchen, but if she was quiet enough, she would be able to sneak out of the side door. She made her way down the stairs undetected and slithered out of the side door. She ran out to the old Quidditch pitch and swung open the shed door. She grabbed her broom and mounted it. She took one look back at the Burrow, who had softly glowing lights every third window or so, before kicking off the ground and flying away from home.


	37. Living Arrangements

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"Charlie, dear, will you go and fetch Ginny and tell her that breakfast is ready? She usually doesn't sleep in this late."

"Sure thing mum."

Charlie got up from the kitchen table and headed up the rickety stairs until he reached his little sister's bedroom. He knocked on her door three times before slowly pushing it open.

"C'mon Gin, wake up! There are eggs and sausage and…what the Hell?"

He looked at her bed, expecting to see her nestled under the covers, to find a rolled up parchment instead. He picked up the parchment; his eyebrows knit together in confusion, and unrolled it. He read it quietly to himself, anger slowly brewing as he did so.

_Dear Family,_

_ It is obvious to see that Ron's absence has made you all terribly upset. Knowing that he not living here because of me is absolutely upsetting to me. Therefore, in order for him to come back and live in the Burrow again, I am leaving. I'm going to go live with Draco for as long as need be, but now Ron can come back and you can all be happy again. Sorry for not telling you this in person. It just would have been too hard._

_ Ginny_

Charlie gawked at the scroll. He furiously rolled it up again and stomped back downstairs. Everyone was situated around the table when he appeared back in the kitchen, and they immediately saw his outrage.

"Charlie, what's got you in a row?"

"ALL OF YOU!" He threw the parchment forcefully onto the table. George picked it up and began reading it as Charlie went on his rant. "See what you've all done?! You've acted as if Ron is the best thing that ever happened to this family and now you've driven another one of your children out of this house!"

Molly, who had not seen Ginny's letter yet, raised her eyebrows.

"What in Merlin's beard are you talking about?!"

"Ginny! She's gone! She saw how upset you were when Ron left and she felt it was HER fault! She's left so that we can have Ron back because she obviously feels like you all love Ron more than her!"

Charlie went stomping over to the back door and pulled on his worn out boots. He could hear his mother begin to cry and the realization hit her. Mr. Weasley got out of his chair and walked over to his son.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"To get Ron and show him the damage that he has done to this damn family."

After his shoes were pulled on and tied, he walked out of the back door and Apparated to Diagon Alley.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"Draco! Over here!" 

Ginny was sitting at a table in front of a small bakery in Diagon Alley the following morning. She had stayed the night at the Leaky Cauldron, without Ron's knowledge, of course. Draco walked over to her and sat down across from her at the table. She already had a cup of coffee in front of her.

"Gin…are you sure you want to be this public right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying. It's only been a couple of days since the Daily Prophet decided to uproot our lives. People are still very touchy on the subject…"

He looked around to find people staring at them, whispering to each other, and pointing at the couple. Oh yeah, people were still VERY touchy. Ginny took another swig of her coffee.

"Let them talk. I don't give a damn."

Draco smirked at her. "Ah. That's the Ginny I know and love. So what's going on? Your owl sounded urgent."

"It is. I…well I was wondering if I could come and live you and your mother."

Draco's eyes widened and he leaned back in his chair.

"Why? I thought things were going well in your family. Apart from Ron, of course."

"They are all a wreck without him at the Burrow. He had completely cut ties from everyone, even Hermione. My mum cried daily. He needs to be back with them."

"But he won't live in the same house as you?"

"Nope."

"I mean, there is tons of room at the Manor, that's for sure. And I'm positive that my mother would be delighted to have you. It shouldn't be a problem."

Ginny's entire face lit up. "Oh thank you so much Draco!"

He snickered. "Of course. And your family is okay with this?"

"Well…I kind of ran away from home."

"YOU WHAT!?"

"I left a note though! It explains everything! They've probably read it by now too! I couldn't do it in person Draco! It was just easier this way."

Draco was staring at her in complete shock. Ginny loved her family. She would do anything for them. He found it extremely absurd that she would just ran out on them without saying a proper good bye. Unless…

"You're staying at my house for a very long time, aren't you?"

Ginny's cheeks turned red. It was like he knew what she was thinking.

"Most likely, yes."

He sighed and leaned foreword again.

"Alright, where are your things?"

She reached into her pocket and took out her miniature trunk. Draco smiled at it and shook his head. "Of course, of course. Alright. Lets go."

He put a galloon on the table, which was more than enough for the drink and a tip, and reached his hand out towards his girlfriend. Ginny gladly took his hand as he hoisted her up. They intertwined their fingers, not caring about the gossip that was swarming around them, and walked to the end of the alley. Once they were out of view from the public eye, Draco winked at the witch before transporting both of them to his family's Manor.

o.O.o

"RON YOU OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW!" 

Charlie was pounding his fists against Ron's room at the Leaky Cauldron. He could hear Ron cursing and grumbling from the other side.

"This is serious! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR BEFORE I BREAK IT DOWN!"

Ron shuffled over to the door, having just woken up, and opened the door for his brother to come in. Charlie burst threw the threshold, his fists in balls, and unleashed on his brother.

"You are fucking coming home right now!" 

"No I am not! You can't just burst in here and tell me what to do!"

"YES I CAN! I AM YOUR OLDER BROTHER AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY."

"NO I WILL NOT! I AM AN ADULT TOO CHARLIE! I CAN MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS! BESIDES-" He took a deep breath to calm down a little. "I'm not living in the same house as my delusional, naïve, sister."

"Well than you have nothing to worry about because she isn't there anymore!"

Ron's face instantly twisted into a look of pure confusion. "What!?"

"She RAN AWAY! She's GONE! She left last night and left a note! She thinks that everyone loves YOU more than HER so she ran away so that you would come home!" 

Ron's jaw dropped. Charlie continued to fume.

"YOU SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE! You've single handedly torn this family apart! Two kids running out of the house, mum and dad crying, George going back into depression…you are a git! Now…get your things together because you are going home right now to clean up this mess that YOU have created!" 

Charlie stormed out of the hotel room, leaving Ron in a wave of guilt. It took him a few moments to let the day's morning events sink in before coming to his senses and packing his trunk up.


	38. Looking Up

It had been an entire week since Ginny had ran away from the Burrow. Just as Draco had predicted, Narcissa was absolutely thrilled to have Ginny living with them at the Manor. She didn't ask questions as to why the Weasley was suddenly there, but instantly embraced her arrival with open arms and a warm heart. Ginny never failed to show her gratefulness towards Draco's mother either. She was a great houseguest, always helping when it was needed, and often cooked with Narcissa. She didn't ask any questions either when Draco sweetly wondered if it would be all right for Ginny to simply stay in his bedroom with him rather than have a giant guest bedroom to herself. It's not like they were having sex every night or anything like that, well, okay…it was getting sort of often but they were always safe. It was just nice to be able to cuddle up with each other and wake up to each other every morning. Plus, they were adults and completely capable of sleeping in the same bed as each other. Ginny fell into the routine of staying at the Manor quite comforting. There was no bickering because there weren't 4 brothers running around creating havoc. Hermione wasn't constantly there, nitpicking her and criticizing her about every little thing that she did, and he mum wasn't screaming at her to do some sort of chore. In fact, living at the Manor was a sort of paradise in a sense. She was happy, really happy, and was finally at peace with herself.

Over at the Burrow, Ron had gotten a thorough talking to by Molly and Charlie. He sat at the dining room table while his mother furiously yelled at him.

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO THICK!? IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU RONALD! AND TO MAKE YOUR SISTER FEEL LIKE THIS IS ABOSLUTLEY CRUEL! YOU NEED TO GET OVER YOURSELF AND GET OVER THE GOD DAMN PAST!"

Then, she took a deep breath and brought her voice back down to its usual volume level.

"You know that you are welcome to stay here honey, this is your home, but you owe Ginny AND Draco an apology. I don't care if you approve or not of their relationship, but you will live with it and live with them being together because I can tell you right now that they are not ending things anytime soon. Besides, this is the happiest she's ever been so you need to get over it for her sake, not yours!"

Of course, Ginny hadn't witnessed the event herself. Charlie and her met up in Diagon Alley one balmy morning to catch up. They were walking from store to store, looking at the windows, when he recounted their mother's blow up. Ginny snorted. She could perfectly picture her mother in her head, face red from rage, screaming at Ron.

"Well I haven't received an apology yet."

"He was actually writing it this morning as I left to come meet you. Expect it soon."

Ginny chuckled a little. She knew that it was probably taking every once of strength for him to write it and she couldn't wait to read it. They walked a little bit further in silence, looking in at a random boutique. Charlie sighed and looked at his little sister.

"So…once you get Ron's apology…you think you're coming back to the Burrow?"

Ginny kept looking ahead, not wanting to make eye contact with her brother. She knew that one of them would most likely end up crying.

"No."

Charlie scoffed. "I thought that was what you were going to say."

"It's not that I don't miss you, Charlie, I do. The only reason I would go back would be for you but…" she finally looked at him. "My life has been so much better since being at Malfoy Manor. I'm not constantly judged. There isn't a row happening every ten minutes. It's not cramped and obnoxiously loud. It's really really nice Charlie."

"Well of course it is Gin. You went from living in a cottage to living in a palace."

"It's not just that though. I'm just so much happier there. I really am."

Charlie stuffed his hands in his pockets, huffing like a little kid. Ginny could help but laugh at his immature behavior.

"It's not like I'm bloody dead or something! I'll still see you all the time! Draco and I have been together for almost a year now. Living together was kind of the next step anyway."

"Yeah, I guess. Are you two…uh…well…."

"Having sex?"

"Yuck. Yeah. That."

She laughed again. "Yes."

"Gross."

"It's not that gross! It's not like he's my first either! You know that Harry and I had it and-"

"LA LA LA LA! I don't need to know who my sister had shagged, thank you very much!"

She laughed again. He was really acting like a little toddler now. He smiled at her and laughed a long with her. He changed the subject.

"So…you still talking to the Harpies coach?"

"I wrote her a letter about a month ago and she sent me some information. She wants to see me next month…fly for her and what not."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty excited. I feel like I'm finally getting my life back on track Charlie. I've been sober for months, I'm in a really healthy and steady relationship, my depression and anxiety is gone, and I'm on my way to getting a job as a professional Quidditch player. I honestly feel on top of the world right now."

"As you should Gin. As you should."

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Ginny was walking in the Malfoy's colossal garden when she recognized her family's large barn owl sailing towards her. He landed very ungracefully on a near by bench and stuck his leg out. Ginny gently untied the parchment and patted the bird on the head before it took off in the direction of the Burrow. Ginny unrolled the parchment and read the letter.

_Dear Ginny and Draco, _

_For the record, the only reason I'm writing this is because mum made me._

"Great start, Ronald."

…_But I really am sorry for how I behaved last week during that meeting. I was terribly upset and reacted irrationally. I should have gotten a better grip on my emotions before making such a drastic choice. Listen, I know that there is a part of me that will never approve of you two. But I can, however, learn to live with the fact that you're together. I guess I'm just writing to say that I'm sorry; that you should come back to the Burrow, and that I'm going to try harder. I'm going to be more open-minded and be a better big brother. Yeah. Write back if you'd like._

_ Ron_

Ginny felt a hot tear run down her cheek. It meant so much to her that Ron was going to try. Her hard headed, stubborn, unyielding brother, was going to try. She rolled the letter back up and ran towards the Manor. She couldn't wait to tell Draco the news. _Harry H_


	39. Houses and Harpies

Ginny's life seemed to finally piece itself together perfectly. Ron was back on decent terms with herself, her family, and Draco, which was a huge success for the witch. She was able to talk to him about Draco without him blowing up at her or being too judgmental. Another thing that seemed astonishing to Ginny was the fact that she was back on good terms with Harry. Of course, she made it quite clear that they would never EVER be back together romantically. That was simply out of the question for good and besides, all her feelings for him in that sense had long been squashed. He was becoming her friend again, however, and she enjoyed having him back in her life. Hell, she was in love with him at one point and she didn't want to lose someone who would always have her back like he would.

She stayed at the Manor, learning that living with Draco was a sort of paradise for her. In a way, with the house as massive as it was, it was almost as if they had their own place. They shared his room, like a married couple, ate meals together, like a married couple, walking in the garden holding hands, like a bleeding married couple, and ran errands together, LIKE A SODDING MARRIED COUPLE. But hey, who was complaining? In fact, the routine had gotten so…well…routine, that Draco brought up the prospect of them living together somewhere else one evening at dinner.

"I've been thinking, since we live together now anyways…and we are old enough to do so-"

"That we get our own place?!"

There was no way that Ginny could hide the smile on her face. She had been hoping that he would bring up the subject for weeks and now that he had, she was bursting at the seams with excitement. He smirked back at her.

"Anxious, are we?"

"YES. I've been silently begging you to bring of the subject for some time now."

He frowned. "Well why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't know. Just figured that you should be the one to bring it up."

"Oh. Right, well, I was thinking that we could go looking for places after your Harpies try outs."

Ginny swallowed hard. She had try outs for the Holyhead Harpies in three days and she was terrified. She had not played a proper game of Quidditch in over a year and she knew that her skills were rusty. And no matter how much Draco belabored the fact that she was a shoo in for the team, her nerves still flared every time he mentioned the team's name.

"Right. After try outs…"

"Merlin Gin are you psyching yourself out again? You will do JUST FINE."

"I'm SO rusty and they have another brilliant player from Ireland coming in for the Chaser spot as well-"

"And she'll have nothing on you."

"If you say so."

"And I do. So it's set. After try outs, we'll look for places."

"Where?"

"I was thinking someplace a little off of Diagon Alley. We'll be centrally located, but not too close to everyone else. Pansy, believe it or not, told me about a couple of smaller places for sale. She actually was the one that suggested them to me."

Ginny choked on her water. "PANSY?!"

"That was my exact reaction when she told me." He laughed as Ginny whipped her chin with her napkin.

"Wow."

The old grandfather clock in the entryway rang loudly, telling them that it was ten o'clock.

"Well, we've been sitting here for two hours."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's because we act like a bloody married couple."

Draco snorted, knowing it was all too true, and got up to clear their plates. Once the table was cleared they retreated to his bedroom for a bit of play time before falling asleep in each others arms.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"I GOT THE CHASER SPOT!"

Ginny was full on sprinting at Draco, holding an official document with the Holyhead Harpies's logo stamped on it. She had tears of joy running down her face as she still couldn't believe it. And jumped right into his arms and wrapped her legs around him, crying into his shoulder. He had been waiting for her just outside of the locker rooms, praying over and over again that she made the team. Looks like it paid off.

"That's so amazing babe!" 

"I'm so…happy!"

"And you should be!" 

She released her hold on him and stood on her own two feet again. She grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

"Thank you for pushing me to do it."

"You know, you should really be thanking Charlie. After all, he is the one who kept bugging you and he is the one who wrote to her and-"

"CHARLIE! I have to tell him!"

"I was just saying that-"

"Lets Apparate to the Burrow!"

"Err…right now?"

"YES!"

Draco could see the hopefully look in her eyes. She was beyond elated and he really didn't want to ruin the mood. They had been to the Burrow only once after Ron had written the note and things had been awkward to say the least. Sure, they were a lot better and there was no fighting, but you could practically cut the tension with a butter knife. The witch pouted out her bottom lip and gave him her huge puppy dog eyes. '_God Damnit_,' he internally cursed, '_why do I always have to fall for that!?'_

"Fine."

"YES!"

She pumped the air in triumph and quickly grabbed onto Draco's arm.

"To the Burrow!"

Before Draco could even think about what he had just agreed too, they were no longer outside the locker rooms but instead facing the towering structure known as the Burrow. Ginny let go of his arm and sprinted through the front door, shouting all along.

"I MADE THE TEAM! I'M A HARPIE! CHARLIE I MADE THE TEAM! I'M A PRO QUIDDITCH PLAYER!" 

Draco slowly walked in behind her, the news now reaching the entire family. He walked through the door to see her being lifted in a bone-crushing hug, courtesy of Charlie.

"I knew you would make it! What did I tell you?! This is amazing Gin!"

She was hugging every member of her family in turn, and Mrs. Weasley was already crying big ugly happy tears, just like her daughter. It took a moment before anyone noticed Draco standing awkwardly in the doorframe. Mrs. Weasley rushed over to him and engulfed him in a hug, taking him completely by surprise.

"Thank you for encouraging her to stick with it Draco! This really means so much to her and us!" She pulled away from him and smiled. "She's come such a long way in the past year and you really are to thank for most of it. So thank you."

Draco felt some pink creep into his cheeks. No one had told him thank you like this before. Not with this amount of love behind it, at least. He grinned at her.

"It's nothing. You do that for the people you love, right?"

"Absolutely!" She turned back to the rest of her family. "Tonight we celebrate! I'll make Ginny's favorite meal and we'll have a party tonight! George dear, owl Harry, Luna, and Hermione. Tell them to come. Oh! Neville too! Everyone needs to be here for this wonderful day!"

Ginny beamed at her mother and then at her boyfriend. She was all the way across the room but their connection was is if they were standing an inch away from each other. She silently mouthed to him the words, 'I love you,' to which he responded with a silent, 'I know,' and a smirk. He saw her giggling but soon a different Weasley sibling obstructed his view. Ron was walking towards him now with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For…err…. everything with her. I've never seen her so happy. I still don't like you but yeah. Thanks is deserved where it is needed."

Draco smirked at him. "Thank you Ronald."

"Don't call me that-"

"Sorry, sorry, my mistake. Ron."

"Yeah. You're welcome."

Ron gave the blond a slight half smile before turning away and joining his family. Draco soon became more comfortable with the flow of conversation and before long the Burrow was tightly packed with people celebrating Ginny's newest accomplishment. And, for once, Draco felt like he was a part of a caring and loving family.


	40. Moving In and Motives

**I'm just going to throw this out there, but I love you guys. You are all so loyal to this story and it honestly means the world to me! Read on!**

Ginny's eyes widened as they stepped into the third house of the day. They had already been to two other houses that morning, both equally gorgeous, and were making their way through the list of places that Draco had conjured up. She stepped into the open foyer and Draco slowly shut the door behind her. The witch that was showing them to all the different houses scurried ahead of them, noticeably pleased with Ginny's immediate reaction.

"Oh Draco!"

They were looking at small nesting houses about 20 minutes out of Diagon Alley. They neighborhood that they were in now was occupied by young couples, or just young wizards and witches in general. The houses all varied in lay out plan and design, so they were perfect for the younger generation. In fact, Ginny knew for a fact that Lavender shared a house with Parvati Patil a couple houses down. Neville had also recently moved here with his long time girlfriend, Aubrielle Song, and Dean Thomas also lived here with Seamus Finnegan. Ginny took in the house in front of her, absolutely amazed at it all. There was an open breezeway that led into the cozy but open house. Her eye was immediately caught but a dazzling chandelier hanging directly above them. There were large windows along the walls, letting in a generous amount of sunlight. The house was ranch style, everything was on the same floor, and it was very classes in design. The entry hall led into a wide open space that became a shared kitchen and dining room. There was a large table with 6 chairs settled around it, all made out of beautiful dark wood. The kitchen was suited towards the wizarding community, so there weren't any knobs or buttons on any of the appliances. They would simply use their wands to turn things on and off and such. The drapes that hung on the rods over the large floor to ceiling windows were a very light blue color and set off the dark wood perfectly. Sitting in the middle of the dining room table, atop a pure lace runner, sat a large white stone vase with fresh lilacs in it. Above the table was a glittering crystal chandelier like the one that hung inside the front door. The witch was rambling on about the perks of the house and the different features…but Ginny wasn't listening. She was taking in the house for herself and was immediately falling in love with the classy but quant house. The witch showed them the guest bedroom with had the same dark wood furniture and light blue fixtures. The comforter on the bed had a white and blue floral pattern on it that reminded Ginny of a china plate. She took them down the hall and quickly showed them the guest bedroom, small but completely livable, before reaching the end of the hall. They had come to two large double doors, each with beautiful golden knobs on them.

"And this..." said the sales witch, "is the master suite."

She turned the knob and pushed the heavy door open. Ginny gasped as she caught sight of it all. It was absolutely breathtaking. The room was large, almost as large as Draco's personal suite back at Malfoy Manor, and for lack of a better word, stunning. It also had the large floor to ceiling windows that attracted to Ginny so much, but instead of the drapes being a light blue; they were a rich navy color. It gave the room a more mature vibe…an almost lustful vibe. There was a king sized bed facing one wall adorned with navy sheets and white and navy pillows. Across from the bed was a beautiful white stone fireplace. Draco grabbed Ginny's hand as they stepped into the room and took a tour around. They walked into the huge, crisp white, walk in closet, which Ginny immediately pictured all their clothes in, and then continued on to the master bathroom. It was huge, complete with a shower AND bath. The white stones that were prevalent throughout the house were in the bathroom as well, framing the large mirror over the sink, and the bottom of the shower. Draco snickered as Ginny gasped and awed at everything they saw. Obviously, this was the perfect place for her. The witch led them back to the dining room, Ginny moving slowly because Draco was lightly tugging her. She was completely entranced by the house and seeing the look on her face was enough for Draco. He, admittedly, loved it as well, but seeing her pleasure made it final for him. He loved her and he wanted her to be happy and if this house would do that then he would do it in a heartbeat. The witch said the price but it was muffled to Ginny. She was too zoned out to notice. The only thing that brought her back to reality was Draco lightly squeezing her hand and proclaiming,

"We'll take it!" 

Ginny snapped her head around and stared at him with wide and hopeful eyes.

"We will?!"

He beamed down at her.

"I just said we would…didn't I?"

"AHH! DRACO!"

She let go of his hand and flung herself into his arms. She couldn't believe it! This perfect house now belonged to her and the man that she was in love with. Her friends were all close, her family not too far away, and her boyfriend would always be with her. It was like a dream come true. Draco giggled as she squealed and bounced in his arms. She was like a toddler who had been told they now owned Honeyduke's Candy Shoppe. She stopped jumping for a second to grab his face and smash her lips into his.

"Thank you so much Draco! I love it! And…I love you!"

She practically shouted it at him even though he was standing an inch away from her. He laughed before kissing her again.

"I love you too."

o.O.o

"So they bought the house?"

"Yes."

"And you know this for certain?"

"Yes."

"And it is just the two of them moving into the place?"

"Absolutely."

The witch grinned wickedly at her information source. This was exactly what she had wanted to hear.

"Perfect. Now we have them right where we want them."


	41. Friend or enemy?

**Sorry it has been a while guys. My uncle, who I was very close to, died this past Wednesday and on top of that I just moved back up to school so my life has been crazy hectic lately. Here is the next update!**

Life for Ginny and Draco in the new house was everything they had hoped it would be. Ginny started training with the Holyhead Harpies and was soon getting all her old talent back and then some. She was quickly becoming the new up and coming chaser and the Harpies used her on their new banners and posters for the year's team. She was quickly becoming huge news, being photographed and interviewed for every big time newspaper and Quidditch magazine, and they started calling the three Harpies chasers the Dream Three. Draco, wanting to be the main supporter for the couple, mostly due to pride, started working at St. Mungo's. He was definitely skilled and smart enough to work there, having been second best only to Hermione during his time at Hogwarts, and soon found himself working his way up the job ladder from intern to full time Healer. Given, the process had taken him months to achieve, but he proved to be an exceptional learner and he was tremendously hard working. With both Ginny and Draco having steady jobs with more than enough income, they were living extremely comfortably.

They tried to have people over as frequently as possible as well. Their first weekend in their new home proved to be a hectic one as they threw a giant house warming party. They invited virtually all their friends and family and despite old grudges…everything went swimmingly. Narcissa, Molly, and Arthur were simply beaming at their kid's success in life and with their relationship, which had been tested at pretty much every turn. Draco and Harry were getting along really well, much to Ginny's pleasure, and with the help of Harry, Ron was able to finally officially shake hands with Draco and leave the past where it belonged. George, Charlie, and Bill brought the fire whiskey and mead wine (Ginny drank Pumpkin Juice) and set the party in motion. It was almost as if Draco's entire graduating class was there. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were there, along with Lavender Brown, Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott, Pansy Parkinson, both the Patil twins, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Neville Longbottom, and Aubrielle Song. Since Ginny was so close with everyone a year older than her, the only person from her class that came was Luna Lovegood. The party raved into the wee hours of the following morning, due to everyone being heavily fed by Narcissa and Molly's copious amount of delicious food and drinking their fair share of booze. It was something that Ginny wanted to remember for the rest of her life, having everyone she loved in her house at one time. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been this happy.

The only thing that was some what aggravating, other than the fact that their work schedules clashed at times and they couldn't eat certain meals together, was the fact that Pansy had a knack for visiting when Ginny wasn't home. It wasn't that Ginny wanted her to be there when the Slytherin DID show up, since Ginny had never really been fond of the witch, but it was the fact that Pansy often liked to hang out with Draco alone. Her track record with the wizard was obviously well known. They had dated at Hogwarts and it wasn't an exaggeration to say that she was obsessed with him. Ginny wasn't normally the jealous type, but Pansy was a legitimate threat to their relationship. Firstly, she was stunningly gorgeous, end of story. Her hair was always perfect and framed her mesmerizing green eyes to a tee. Her smile was radiating and you could probably bounce a quarter off her toned abs. The thing that bugged Ginny the most, however, was Pansy's ability to get what she wanted. She was clever, cunning, and manipulative. Hell, she was the poster child for what a Slytherin was. And no matter how many times Draco insisted that Pansy was not interested in him in any way, Ginny wasn't convinced. She felt that Pansy's many unannounced and unplanned appearances were not simple coincidences. In fact, Pansy's presence often was the butt of Ginny and Draco's recent arguments.

"I just don't trust her! Especially when she is alone with you! Everyone knows that she's in love with you, Draco!"

"No she's not-"

"Yes she is! She's obsessed with you! She never got over you!"

"Ginny we stopped dating over 2 years ago-"

"And she's still attached."

"No she isn't! She has no reason to be!"

"Yes she does."

"Name it-"

"You took her virginity!"

There was an awkward pause where they glared at each other. They were in the kitchen, cleaning up from dinner when the argument had started. Ginny had her arms crossed over her chest while Draco was leaning up against the counter.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It had a lot to do with it Draco. You took her virginity. You were her first love. Girls remember that. It affects them. They hold onto that person. They will always have feelings for that person. It's just…a fact."

"So are you telling me that you still have feelings for Harry?"

Ginny was taken aback. She hadn't seen that coming.

"No. That's different."

"How?"

"Gee…I don't know…maybe because he verbally and physically abused me!"

Draco shook his head.

"She doesn't have feelings for me. I know it. She's just a friend. I look at her like her sister. I think she thinks of me like her brother."

Ginny groaned in frustration. They had had this conversation so many times and he always made that point but Ginny just wasn't believing it. She had always thought that Pansy's motives when it came to their relationship had been off. Her words from the Burrow encounter rang in her head. 'I_'m only here for Draco.'_ There was no denying the fact that Ginny didn't like her, and she was absolutely positive that Pansy would do anything to be in her romantic position with Draco. The frustration inside her grew to a new level.

"Please...just…why can't you see my side?"

"I can Gin, but I just don't feel the same way."

"Draco please just…just…"

"Just what?"

"I don't want you spending so much alone time with her anymore. I don't care if you're with her and you're also with other people, but I don't like it when it's just the two of you." Tears were starting to swell up in her eyes. "It makes me nervous because she is just so…GORGEOUS and I know that you could be with anyone you wanted to and-"

But she couldn't finish her sentence. She choked back a sob as Draco stepped foreword and wrapped his arms around her. She brought her into his strong chest and she encircled his waist with her own arms.

"I don't want to be with anyone else Ginny. I want to be with you and only you. You have nothing to worry about. Nothing will ever happen between me and Pansy, okay?"

"O-okay."

He pulled away and kissed her gently on the lips before completely releasing her.

"Now, lets finish cleaning up. We ARE suppose to meet with Neville and Aubrielle tonight, remember?"

She giggled a little. "Right."


	42. Pansy Parkinson

**Sorry it's been so long! College and shit! ENJOY**

While Draco completely understood where his girlfriend was coming from when it came to Pansy, he found it very difficult to turn her away from his house. They had been friends forever. When they were in diapers, their parents would stick them in a large playpen filled with sterling silver bells, trains, and wands. There was always a play potion kit that both of them constantly fought over. Even when they were little they showed signs of being friends for life. They were so similar it was eerie. They both had the dry, cruel type of humor and unwavering determination. They even both had that same signature Slytherin smirk. Now that Draco thought about it, Pansy had been his only true friend to stick with him through everything. Sure he had had Crabbe and Goyle through the whole thing, but they were never really his friends. They were more like his cronies. But Pansy, Pansy was different. She had genuinely cared about his well being and his feelings. She drank in every word that he said and gave him extremely helpful advice. How could he all the sudden just shut her out of his life like Ginny wanted him too? He was pacing the dining room, Ginny was off at Quidditch practice, when the doorbell rang. Shit. It was Pansy, showing up at her usual time. He walked through the entryway and opened the door. Pansy was beaming, as usual, but her smile quickly faded when she saw the concerned and confused look on Draco's face. She frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Draco sighed. She always knew when something was wrong.

"Something IS wrong, isn't it?"

"Just…just come in."

"Okay…"

She stepped in timidly and he shut the door behind her. He turned his back to her and led her towards the dining room. He silently pulled out a chair, motioning her to sit down, and walked into the kitchen. She skeptically took her seat and watched him pour two tall glasses of ice water. He brought them back to the table and sat across from her before folding his hands together on the table. She snorted.

"Why do I feel an intervention coming on?"

He swirled his ice cubes around in his water before looking up at her.

"Ginny doesn't want us to hang out privately any more."

Pansy gave a wicked smile and chuckled. Draco looked at her, knitting his brows together in confusion.

"Why are you laughing?"

"At how serious you're making this seem. I mean, Merlin Draco! I'm surprised it took her this long to say something to you!" 

Draco's silver eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You are?!"

"Absolutely. Draco…if WE were dating I wouldn't want you to be within ten feet of women. No way in Hell."

Draco scoffed. "Come on now…that's a little extreme, isn't it?"

"Not really. Girls are drawn to you like a moth to a goddamn flame. You're the Slytherin Prince, Draco. You're the ridiculously attractive sensitive mate with a bad boy background. You're every girl's dream."

Draco choked on the water that he was drinking. He whipped his mouth on a napkin and stared at his best friend, pure shock on his face.

"You're joking, right?"

"It's not really a joking matter so…no, I'm not. Draco, you could have any girl in the wizarding world and you are with that blood traitor Ginny Weasley and I, for one-"

"Don't you dare call her that!"

In a matter of seconds Draco had a switch flip inside of him. He was suddenly furious at Pansy for ever saying something like that.

"Don't you EVER call Ginny that EVER again or you will not be welcome in this house…you understand me?"

"Oh don't be such a prat, Draco. That's what she is. Besides, you and I both know that you could never turn ME down."

She slinked back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest in a very matter of factly way. She was smug in the current situation…comfortable. Draco rose to his feet.

"What the bloody Hell is that suppose to mean?!"

"Well it's obvious. I mean Hell, look at you now. I am openly insulting your girlfriend…this prick that you are supposedly in love with and-"

"I AM in love with her! It's not some act or a little infatuation. I LOVE Ginny. She is not a prick and she is certainly NOT a blood traitor. She fought for the right side, the WINNING side, and if you still feel that way about her…well you need to get with the times and grow the fuck up. The war has been over for almost 2 years. Your side-"

"OUR side…"

"LOST. So get over it. Dark wizards will not rise again ANY time soon!"

Pansy rolled her eyes, which made Draco even more furious. How was she taking all this so light heartedly?! He clenched his fists at his sides and tried to control his now racing heart rate. A part of him was trying to remember that the witch sitting across from his was his best friend since birth but another part of him was coming to the daunting realization that Pansy was exactly who Ginny had made her out to be…a cunning and conniving witch. She sat up in her chair again and spoke with an unnervingly calm persona.

"That's not the point I'm trying to make, Draco."

"Than fucking say it because I am about two seconds away from kicking you out of this bloody house!"

Pansy's face went deadpan but she was still obviously comfortable at the moment. She stood up and slowly walked toward Draco. He refused to move backward, thinking that it would show him backing down and before he knew it, they were practically nose to nose. She spoke in a snide tone that sent the hair on Draco's arm on end.

"I'm saying, Draco…" she kissed his name. "That she isn't right for you. You two are just too different. She doesn't know your dark side and she hasn't seen the full extent of your outbursts like I have."

"Like YOU have?!" 

"Yes…like I have. I've been there for you through all that bullshit you went through. I was always there, holding your hand and lending you a body whenever you felt like…releasing stress."

She grinned broadly; Draco shivered.

"I'm just saying the obvious. Why do you think I come here when the Weaslette ISN'T? I could give a rat's ass about her. I only want to see you. We are meant for each other…" She took a step closer to him so he could feel the breath on his neck. He didn't like the position he was in, but he refused to step down. He was going to hold his ground.

"You're wrong. I LOVE Ginny. She knows things about me that you have no clue about. We compliment each other. We take care of each other. She's made for me…not you."

"See…that's where I disagree."

And without a warning, because it happened too quickly for Draco to respond, Pansy grabbed Draco's face and brought his lips to hers. It took his brain a moment to register what was happening before forcefully pushing her off him. His mouth hung open. She was smiling.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?!"

"Oh…seriously? Don't even try and deny the fact that you didn't like that-"

"Get. Out. Of. My. Sodding. House. NOW."

He stiffly walked over to the door and flung it open. Pansy stared at him with her mouth pursed in a tight line. She grabbed her bag from the dining room table and swung it over her shoulder. She walked through the entry hall but stopped short in the doorframe to say one last thing to the wizard.

"You'll regret this."

"To Hell I will."

And as soon as she was out the door, Draco slammed it in her face.


	43. The Bedroom Wrestle

Draco was pacing in the master bedroom, dreading Ginny's arrival home from Quidditch practice. He was trying to desperately wrap his head around what had happened earlier that day between him and his best friend, but it just wasn't processing properly. Had she always had these underlying motives with him? He thought back to his day's at Hogwarts with her. Yes, yes she had. She threatening any girl that came within handshake distance of him. He moaned in frustration. Ginny had been right all along and now…now that Pansy NOT ONLY KISSED HIM…but threatened him as well, what was he suppose to say to Ginny? He heard the front door open and a timid, "hello?"

"In the bedroom!"

Draco was not anywhere near ready for bed, like he usually was when she got home late at night, but was instead still dressed in a pair of black slacks and an untucked crème button up. He ruffled his hair with his fingers. He had to tell her, but how?! He heard her putting her practice broom away in their storage shed by the back door. He knew her routine by now and knew exactly where she was in it. She always took a shower right after practice was over so she would come to him smelling clean and fresh. She came home, put her broom away, and drank a tall glass of water before coming into their bedroom. He heard the very quiet incantation of "Aquamenti," signaling her progress. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and threw it in the hamper. Now he could clear hear the sound of cabinet doors opening and closing. She was coming. He had to think quickly. Their bedroom door opened and she strolled in, her fiery hair in a tight bun on the top of her head. She took one look at Draco and immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"Why are you still in your dress clothes?"

He searched his brain for a reasonable answer. "Lost track of time today. A…err…lot happened."

"Really? Problems at St. Mungo's?"

"Err, yeah."

He quickly pulled his pants off and put those away as well before changing into his favorite emerald and silver silk pajama bottoms. Ginny retreated into the bathroom to brush her teeth. He took the moment of solitude to rack his brains some more. He should just come right out and tell her. She deserved to know the truth. But what if she went after Pansy? Sure, she was a conniving witch, but Draco still respected her as a grown woman and, to be honest, she WAS one of his closest friends. He sighed as Ginny came back from the bathroom before running his fingers through his hair again. Ginny looked at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"You're not telling me something."

He stared at her with a defeated look on his face. She just knew him way too well. He didn't say anything but instead just looked at her, waiting for her to break the silence that hung in the air between them.

"Well…spit it out."

Draco sighed and moved towards the bed, but he did not sit down. He knew, that as soon as he told her what had happened, that the fire inside of her would erupt. Best to stay standing incase she decided to break for the door.

"Pansy came to visit today."

Ginny heard the sad tone in his voice and defensively crossed her arms over her chest_. 'Shit,'_ Draco thought, _'I haven't even told her the truth yet and her blood is already beginning to boil._' Ginny cleared her throat, willing him to continue.

"We had a short conversation. I started it off by telling her that I can't see her as much. At least not alone with her."

"What did she have to say to that?"

"She knew it was because you wanted me too. She knew you were being jealous."

"JEALOUS?! I'm not sodding jealous of her! I just don't trust the bitch!"

"Would you let me finish?!" 

The sudden flare inside the witch diminished…for the time being. Draco took a long exhale.

"She started going on about some rubbish that I didn't understand. She said that she understood where you were coming from. She said that if she were with me, she would have said the same thing too, only a lot sooner. She completely agrees with you that she is threatening to our relationship."

"SEE?!" 

"Would you please shut it Gin!"

She closed her mouth angrily. She knew she had been right about the Slytherin.

"She was acting weird. She kept saying, 'if I were with you.' That confused. Why would she be with me? We ended or relationship YEARS ago."

He looked at Ginny, waiting for an outburst. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and her eyes narrowed in at her boyfriend. It was bloody terrifying.

"She approached me. Told me she would be a better fit for me. She's seen me at my lowest and at my highest. She said that she knew how to handle me. Then she…"

"Yes?"

"She kissed me."

And, just as he had suspected, she darted for the door. It was quicker than the blink of an eye. Her hand was on the doorknob already by the time Draco grabbed her around her waist. He hoisted her into the air, her kicking and screaming the entire time, and plopped her down on the bed. Her hands were balled into tight fists and her face was beat red with wrath.

"LET ME GET TO HER! THAT SNEAKY…LOUSY…SLUT! I'LL PUT HER IN HER GOD DAMN PLACE. WHO THE HELL DOES SHE THINK SHE IS? LET ME GO TO HER DRACO! LET ME GO!"

Draco had pinned her down to the bed with his hands at her wrists and his knees holding her legs together. He was hovering over top of her, determined to calm her down and let her finish.

"STOP IT! Stop it Ginny and get a hold of yourself! You are NOT going after her. You need to let me finish and you need to stop being so bull headed for once in your life!"

"SHE KISSED MY BOYFRIEND!" 

"But I didn't kiss her back so let me finish!"

She huffed loudly, showing her frustration, but she stayed silence nonetheless. He could still hear her brain churning, however, thinking of a proper revenge.

"She kissed me. I pushed her away. I told her to get out of our house and to not come back. I shut the door in her face. I didn't feel anything Ginny. You were right. She is manipulative and a schemer and I see her for who she is now."

When Ginny spoke, her voice was extremely strained, as she was trying not to lash out at the man who was holding her down.

"And…what did she say to that?"

"She said that I would be sorry. And she left."

Ginny glowered at him after hearing Pansy's final words.

"She's going to try again."

"Correct."

"And she's going to have a plan."

"Also correct."

"And she's not just going to walk out the door the next time."

Draco sighed. She was right, again.

"But just…don't go after her. I'll deal with her myself. I'll get Blaise and Theo in on it. They can predict her crazy pretty well and they'll be able to talk her down without her knowing that I sent them. But just stay here tonight, okay? Stay with me, in this room, in this bed. Please Gin."

Draco could visibly see the anger slipping out of the witch's face. Her features were growing softer again. She let out the tension underneath him and he finally felt comfortable in letting go of her. He rolled over onto the bed next to her and she mechanically snuggled into his shirtless chest. He wrapped his arm around her, cradling her next to him. And even with the outburst, and knowing that they had someone coming after them and their relationship, they both fell asleep instantly and slept like babies.


	44. Locker Room Conversations

"Just talk to her mate. Figure out what the Hell she is coming up with because Merlin knows that she is coming up with some plan to hurt Ginny."

"Wait…what?! What exactly DID she say to you?!"

Blaise and Draco were at the Zabini estate, sitting in front of the large floor to ceiling stone fireplace, and sipping scotch on the rocks. Blaise was slouching back in ease but Draco's right leg was shaking due to a combination of fear, nerves, and anxiety. He had his elbows propped up on his knees and his chin rested in his hands. He sighed and looked up at his friend through tired eyes. He hadn't slept for the last two nights due to constant fear of Pansy attacking their house or doing some stupid shit along those lines. He was constantly stressed out about it all and had the unnerving sensation that someone was always watching him. He just hated that he had put his girlfriend in danger. The extent of her danger was still very unclear but it was a danger nonetheless.

"She told me that I should be with her and not Ginny-"

"Sounds like Pansy."

"But she brought it to a new level! She kissed me dude! And I pushed her back and told her to bugger off. She stomped out but made it very apparent before she left that I 'would be sorry for this.' What the Hell am I suppose to do?"

Blaise sniggered and shook his head. Draco looked at him, appalled that he could think that this was a laughing matter. Blaise smirked at Draco.

"Dude, this is typical Pansy. She's all bark and no bite. She's just obviously jealous that you're taken. I wouldn't loose sleep over it if I were you mate. Seriously."

Draco huffed loudly and flopped backwards onto the leather sofa, sprawling out on his back.

"Maybe you're right Blaise."

"I KNOW I'm right. Hell, when am I not? Don't fret about it, seriously."

Draco shook his head and downed the rest of his scotch in one gulp.

o.O.o

The Holyhead Harpies's head coach blew her whistle loudly, signaling the end of another successful practice session. The players floated to the ground and gracefully dismounted their brooms. The players huddled around their coach, a short but beautifully built woman in her late 30s. She was someone that Ginny looked up to with tremendous respect and absolutely adored her badass bitch persona. She smiled at the team.

"Solid practice everyone! I have, without a doubt, that the season opener against Puddlemore next week will be a breeze. I have never seen a group of players be such a coherent team before! Hit the showers ladies! Job well done!"

The players gave each other high fives and forceful pats on the back as they made their way into the large locker rooms. Each player went to their separate locker and started taking off their practice uniforms. Ginny opened her locker and smiled at the moving black and white photograph that was taped to the inside of the door. It was a picture of her and Draco lying on their backs in the Weasley family garden. Draco's knees were propped up and Ginny was snuggled into his side. The picture was taken from the kitchen window so you could see their profiles. Her mum had taken it while they weren't paying attention and gave them each a copy as a house-warming gift. Draco's was framed in a sterling silver frame and sat on his nightstand. Ginny's was worn, folded, and had dirt over it, but she loved it that way. She changed out of her robes and hoped into the shower like usual. She ran her fingers through her long hair, taking note that she needed to trim it a little before the season opener. She took an extra few minutes in the shower than usual. It could be from the happy memory of her and Draco lying in the garden, or the fact that the team just had a killer practice…but Ginny just soaked in the hot water, loving the warming sensation. When finally realizing that her fingers were too pruned for their own good, she shut the water off and wrapped herself in a Holyhead Harpies embroidered towel. She heard the eerie silence of the locker room and called out, only to hear her own echo answer her.

"Anybody still here?"

'_Anybody still here?'_

She shrugged her shoulders and walked back to her locker. She figured that everyone else left while she took those extra minutes in the shower. She quickly toweled off and changed into a pair of relaxed jeans and her favorite cardigan. She hung her towel up after rubbing it through her hair and slipped into a pair of flats. She pulled her hair into a side braid and was about to shut her locker when she heard a shuffling noise behind her. She slowly turned around, unsure of what to expect, and called out.

"Hello?"

She heard another ruffle, but no response. She cautiously grabbed her wand and closed her locker door.

"Anyone there?"

Then she heard it, clear as day. She heard someone giggle…and she knew exactly who it was.

"What do you want…Pansy?"

The stunning but evil looking dark haired Slytherin made her way out from behind floor to ceiling tapestry. She had a smug look on her face and her wand already out. Ginny narrowed her eyes at her.

"So…paranoid, aren't we Ginny?"

"Just answer my question Parkinson."

"Well, you see, that question is very broad. You'll have to more specific."

"What do you want right now? What do you want with me?"

"Well I want you gone, obviously."

"So…what? You're planning on killing me? That's quite drastic, even for you."

"Oh I don't want you dead! No that is quite drastic indeed. I just don't want you in Draco's life, at all."

"Yeah…that's no happening."

"Hold your tongue Weasley. You have no clue what I am capable of."

"Likewise. You underestimate me, Pansy."

The two witches were glaring at each other, wands pointed at each other, and their minds ready to attack. Pansy gave a wicked grin, which sent goose bumps up Ginny's arms.

"Pansy, you and Draco haven't been together for over two years now. Give it a rest! He doesn't want to be with you anymore. He LOVES ME."

"Which I still can't wrap my head around! You're a filthy blood traitor! You're a poor, homely WEASLEY! You aren't even that pretty and-"

"GIVE IT A REST! I don't care what YOU think about me. All I know is that Draco loves me and I love him! Get over it!"

"Yeah but have you ever seen Draco at his lowest point? Have you really? Would you know how to handle it if it were to happen again?"

"Well since I reconnected with him at therapy sessions….yeah, I have seen him at his lowest."

Pansy cackled, sending a vibrating laugh around the room.

"THERAPY!? Oh dearie…that was NOT his lowest point by any means! Hasn't he ever told you about his death eater days? What Voldemort had him to so he could be properly inducted?"

Ginny's face only faltered for a moment, but Pansy caught it.

"Oh? He hasn't told you about that yet?"

"He doesn't need to. It's his choice whether he shares that or not-"

"He told me. He told me everything. He trusts me more than he trusts you. That's a fact Ginny."

"NO HE DOESN'T?!"

"Someone in here?! I'm locking up!"

Ginny's coach was calling into the locker room. Ginny and Pansy quickly stashed their wands. Pansy looked at Ginny and said one last thing before disappearing around the corner.

"Ask him about his death eater induction. I have a feeling you won't love him after he tells you."

She was gone and soon Ginny was alone. It only lasted for about ten seconds, however, because Ginny's coach had entered the locker room.

"Weasley. I figured it was you that I heard. Why are you still here?"

"Uh…just took my time in the shower. Sorry coach."

"No worries. Head out now; I'm locking up."

"Right."

She quickly grabbed her bag and hustled out of the locker room before Apparating back to her neighborhood with only two questions on her mind. What had Voldemort made Draco do and why hadn't he told her about it yet?


	45. A Visit to the Past

Ginny came home from practice with her head spinning…and it wasn't from the Apparating. Draco was standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and drinking a hot mug of tea. As soon as Ginny walked through the front door Draco could sense that something was wrong. She had a look of hurt on her face and she walked as if she had an invisible weight strapped to her shoulders. Draco knit his brows together as she walked through to their laundry room.

"Rough practice?"

"No."

He scrunched his forehead together. "Sure about that?"

She re-entered into the hallway. "Yep. Really good one actually. Coach thinks we're gonna throttle Puddlemore."

"That's brilliant!"

"Yep."

She was being so cold to him. She was refusing to look him in the eye and she walked right past him without giving him a kiss. She was being very…un-Ginny like. She walked straight through the dining room, into the opposite hallway, and into their master bedroom without another word. Draco sighed and drained his tea before placing it in the sink. He slowly made his way after her, giving her the silence that she obviously wanted. He stood in the doorframe of their bedroom to find her already in her pajamas. She didn't acknowledge his presence at all. Finally, after what seemed like minutes of silence, Draco spoke up.

"Alright. What's got you in such a mood?"

She bit her lip, thought about she was going to word her question, and then exploded.

"What the Hell did Voldemort do to induct you into the Death Eaters and why the Hell haven't we ever talked about it?!"

Draco's jaw dropped and Ginny quickly clapped her hand over her mouth. Why in Merlin's beard had she just shouted that at him?! Where did her manners go? Draco ruffled his hair with his fingers and slowly walked over to the king size bed. He sat down on the edge of it and patted the spot next to him. Ginny, however, kept pacing the room.

"Why are you bringing this up? It's so random and-"

"Pansy."

"Pansy?

"Yeah. She dropped by after Quidditch practice today."

"She what?!"

Ginny kept her head down but didn't stop pacing. She could hear the surprise in Draco's voice_. 'Okay…so he had no role in what had just happened_.'

"I was the last one to leave the locker room today, took an extra long shower. When I came out, she was there, wand drawn."

She looked over at Draco for the first time. She could see the concern and worry painted on his face. She took his shocked silence as a cue to continue.

"I, of course, drew my wand too. But she didn't want to fight…just talk."

"About what?"

She snorted. "You."

He raised an eyebrow but it wasn't from being surprised, because he wasn't. It was because he was curious as to what she said about him.

"What about me?"

Ginny finally stopped pacing the room and came over to sit on the bed next to Draco. She folded her hands together in her lap and sort of closed into herself. She let her shoulders drop and her head bow. Draco didn't touch her or try to comfort her. Something was not right.

"She talked about how she could handle you because she'd seen you at your lowest point in your life. She said that you two have talked about things that we never have. Things that you've never told anyone else. She's the closest person to your in your life in that sense. She said that she knew things about you that would make my stomach curl. She said I wouldn't be able to handle the truth. Then she asked me if I knew about your death eater initiation ceremony. She made it very apparent that she was better than me because she knows and I don't."

Draco groaned.

"God Damnit Pansy."

He didn't continue but instead got up off the bed and walked into the closet. He started unbuttoning his shirt before he continued.

"First off, the reason I haven't told you about my initiation is because… well…. I was afraid that if I told you, you would start to look at me like a monster."

His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence and Ginny's eyes grew wide.

"Draco, I would never-"

"Don't say that until you've heard my story."

She closed her mouth and watched as he took his shirt off and hung it back on the hanger. He then proceeded to take off his undershirt.

"Just remember that throughout this entire thing, I was forced to join and do these things because of my father and Aunt Bellatrix, okay?"

She nodded her head and watched as he took off his belt.

"Okay, good. You know how, during my sixth year, I was assigned to kill Dumbledore and couldn't do it?"

Again, she nodded. Now he was changing out of his dress slacks.

"It wasn't because I wasn't able to or I was nervous. I didn't choke. It was…it was I had already murdered before and I couldn't go through the pain of doing it again."

He heard Ginny gasp and clap her hand over her mouth. He didn't dare look at her because he could already feel the sting of tears threaten his eyes. He pulled on his pajama bottoms but didn't return to the bed. He started pacing the room instead.

"Voldemort made it very clear to anyone who wanted to join his ranks that they had to commit a murder. It could be anyone or anything they wanted but they had to do it in front of him and it had to be long, drawn out, and painful. You had to torture your victim until they were pleading to die before you showed them mercy. I was going to kill an animal like so many others did. A mouse…or a chipmunk….or a rabbit. Something small that wouldn't live that long anyway. A lot of the death eaters did something like that. But after my father messed up so many times, after he gave the diary to you without being ordered to, after he had failed to trap Harry at the Quidditch world cup, after he had come back to headquarters without the Prophecy during my fifth year…. Voldemort wanted revenge. He wanted the Malfoy family to pay for their foolishness and incompetence. So he didn't give me a choice as to what or who I was to kill in order to be inducted. He gave me someone I knew and respected. He gave me a classmate."

He heard Ginny sniffle loudly and he knew that she was crying. He had to keep going though. He had told this much and there was no turning back now.

"So I walked into the ceremonial room and there…chained to the wall in front of me was Demelza Robins."

"I played Quidditch with her for the Gryffindor team! They said her death was due to an illness!"

"Nope. It was me. I looked her in the eyes and saw her sobbing. All I could think of was the girl with the uncanny ability to dodge Bludgers on the pitch. She was such a nice person, so sweet, and there she was in front of me. Chained to the wall, clearly underfed, and terrified. Her eyes widened when she saw me. She pleaded with me and begged me to help her. Voldemort was behind me, telling me to torture her. If I tortured her and killed her…than he would stop torturing my mother and father. Granted, I really didn't care what he did with my father but, Ginny…he destroyed my mother. There were times when she couldn't get out of bed because she was too fragile and didn't have enough life in her. There were countless times when she was hours away from death. I had to keep her alive. She was the one person I really loved and I couldn't stand to lose her. I'll spare you the details Gin because you know what happened next. And then it was over and there was nothing I could do about it. Demelza was dead and I was dead too. I didn't eat at all because anytime I tried to digest food it would just come back up. I didn't sleep. I didn't talk. I lost a part of my soul with her and the one person that was always there to comfort me and cradle me when I bawled my eyes out was Pansy. She knew how fragile I had become and how weak I was getting and she took care of me. She was the only person who kept me going at Hogwarts during my sixth year and the thing that I respect the most about her was that she never told anyone. People asked about me all the time, especially Slytherins, and she didn't even give them a hint. So when she told you that she's seen me at my lowest point…she was right."

He was crying now, letting the tears come streaming down his face, unwanted as they were. His back was to Ginny because he could hear her sobbing and sniffling as well. Suddenly he heard her stand up and soon her arms were wrapping themselves around his waist. She rested her head on his back and he intertwined his fingers with her's.

"I'm s-so sorry you h-had to go through t-that Draco."

"Me too."

"A-and I d-don't care if P-Pansy has seen you at y-your lowest and I-I haven't. I'll always b-be here for you. And even a-after hearing that I s-still love you and I still w-want to be with you."

And with those words, the words that he had been praying she would say, he turning around and kissed her. He felt every worry and fear release from his body and it felt so comforting and rejuvenating that he didn't dare stop or pull away.


	46. Letters to Home

**So…I thought I'd try something different with this chapter since it is a sort of filler chapter. It's going to be entirely in letters! Tell me what you think please! It's strictly for this chapter though and will be the only one like this in the entire story.**

_Pansy,_

_ Thank you for bringing Draco's past to my attention. We had one of the most heartfelt conversations that did nothing but cement our love for each other. You may have seen him at his lowest, but I have him at his highest. Try and mess with my relationship again and I will NOT hesitate to defend myself or fight back._

_ Ginny_

_Ginny,_

_ You think you're so slick, don't you? Some big, tough war hero. Every hero has a weakness and I will find yours and crush you with it. Don't underestimate me. I am a Slytherin after all._

_ Pansy_

_Pansy, _

_ Bring it._

_ Ginny_

Charlie untied the parchment from the owl's leg and read through the lengthy letter from his sister.

_Charlie,_

_ How are you? I feel like we haven't talked in a long time! Too long, to be exact and we need to catch up soon. Things with Draco and I are as good as ever, but I have to tell you about something a little more serious. And please don't relay this to anyone else in the family. You're the only one who knows the whole story and they wouldn't understand the situation properly. Remember about a month or so ago when I said that I thought Pansy had ulterior motives with Draco and I's relationship? Well, I was spot on. She's trying her hardest to break us up. She's threatened me before and she keeps trying to prove that she is more compatible for him than me. It may sound like Hogwarts days shit….but she's serious about it. She writes me threatening letters and tries to get Draco alone with her. She's tried to 'casually' seduce him a number of times and she shows no signs of stopping. I have a hard enough time balancing Draco, the house, and the Harpies without her intervening every other day. Give me advice on how to stop her for good?_

_ Through Pansy and her attempts to break us up, she mentioned that she had seen Draco at his lowest point because she knew what he had to do in order to be inducted into Voldemort's death eater society. Of course that bugged me, you know me, and so Draco told me about it. It was absolutely horrible Charlie. The things that Voldemort made him do make me sick to my stomach. The worst part was that he had no choice because if he refused, his mother and father would have ended up dead. It sickens me to know what a terrible creature that wizard was. It really revealed how strong Draco actually is though. He had to do something so heart breaking and yet his still hold his head up. The whole thing in itself was just ironic, however, because while Pansy had intended her threat to tear us apart, it did nothing but grow us closer together._

_ Also, my season opener is on Friday! You better be in the fucking front row since you practically begged me to take this job! Hopefully I'll see you there and then we can talk more! Love you so much big bro!_

_ Write back!_

_ Ginny_

_Gin,_

_ First of all, of course I will be in the first row at your game against Puddlemore! Who do you think I am?! Some unsupportive brother that's been away training dragons in Romania for years? That's very insensitive of you!_

_ On another note, I would not let Pansy get to your head because that's exactly what she wants. You need to remember that if Draco wanted to truly be with her, than he would be. But he isn't with her; he's with you. He loves you wholeheartedly and don't you ever forget that. She may think that she compliments him better but I have never seen a couple work and live in such harmony before, not even mum and dad. You two have an unbreakable bond and when I say unbreakable I mean it. The only way I could see you two separating is if one of you kicked that bucket and that's not happening anytime soon (knock on wood). Be the bigger woman and hold your head up with pride. You deserve everything you have gotten in your life and don't let some wanna be, selfish, jealous bitch take that away from you. If she keeps writing letters, try putting a Ministry block on her. They have many ways of making sure that she can not contact you. That would definitely solve one of your major problems. If things get worse and she starts showing up in person, a magical restraining order would be the next step. But don't go that far unless you absolutely have to because those things get really tricky._

_The family sends their love and they can't wait to see you play on Friday! Go out there and kill it like a Weasley! Love you too!_

_ Charlie_

_Mum,_

_ I had to tell Ginny everything that had happened with my induction ceremony last night. Pansy confronted her and told Ginny that she was 'more compatible' for me simply because she had seen me at the lowest point in my life. So of course Ginny was curious and slightly mad that I had not told her something like that. So I had to re-tell it all. It was so hard to tell her because I was afraid that she wouldn't love me anymore but her reaction was the exact opposite. We have made it very clear to each other that we love each other no matter what and that our sketchy pasts and Pansy aren't going to tear us apart. Can't wait to see you at the Quidditch match on Friday! _

_ Love, your son,_

_ Draco_

_Draco,_

_ Well, I guess that topic was going to come up sooner or later. It's such a shame that it did with the given circumstances, however. I feel so sad that Pansy has turned into the young lady that she currently is. I knew that she always fancied you but I never found her to be mental or crazed. I can tell, however, that the love that you and Ginny have for each other is simply too genuine for her to break it up. And remember, that even with your past I am still so incredibly proud to have you as my son and I love you with everything cell in my body. Can't wait to see you on Friday! Tell Ginny hello for me and good luck!_

_ Mum_

Ginny woke up with a start on Friday and a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Game day."


	47. Game Day

**Hello loyal readers! Here is the next update but before you start reading, I have a proposition to offer. I have this fic entirely outlined already. Ie. I know the ending. I am now considering an alternate ending but it would be an EXTREMELY HUGE plot twist. If someone is willing to listen to my idea and give their opinion on whether it is too ludicrous or not, that would be wonderful. However, if you do this the ending/ rest of the plot WILL be spoiled for you. If you do not want that to happen (and I completely understand 100% why) that is not a problem at all. But if anyone would like to take me up on my offer, just send me a personal message! Thank you so much! Read on!**

"Good luck babe! I know you'll kill it out there! I'll be in the front row with everyone else." Draco and Ginny kissed quickly before she went hurrying out the door. She had to be at the stadium two hours early to warm up and get in a relaxed pregame practice with the rest of the team. She grabbed her Harpies bag and threw it over her shoulder before darting out the door and Apparating away.

o.O.o

"Narcissa dreariest! It's so wonderful to be seeing you again!"

"Molly! I've missed our morning tea gatherings. We need to resume that as soon as possible."

"I couldn't agree more!"

The two proud mothers, who where now the dearest of friends, hugged each other as the reaches their seats in the front row. The Holyhead Harpies stadium was already jam packed, as the first game of the season was sold out, and the crowd was ready for the match to get underway. Right at midfield, front and center, was Ginny's cheering section. Her family, including Charlie who had his face painted and was wearing a giant button that said, 'GINNY WEASLEY IS MY SISTER!' Draco, and Narcissa were in the front row. A section of the second row was filled by Hermione, Harry, Neville, Aubrielle, Aubrielle's little sister Nielah, Dean, Seamus, and Luna. Sitting behind them in the third row was Hagrid, Professor (Headmaster now) McGonagall, Lavender Brown, Katie Bell, the Patil twins and, on the very end, a beaming Dr. Bloomberg. It was very obvious that Ginny was their friend because all of them had on Weasley gear complete with her number, 18. Draco came in and settled next to Charlie who shook his hand. Charlie and Draco had grown very close as a result of his relationship with Ginny. The second eldest Weasley had known everything from the start and had been the first person to believe in their relationship. That meant more than the world to Draco and she shared a special connection to him through those circumstances. Charlie turned to Draco.

"That Pansy still givin' you two trouble?"

"She's cooled off a little, thank Merlin."

"You know, I really don't like that she's sendin' Gin nasty letters. She doesn't know who she's dealing with."

"Got that right. Ginny could take her out easily if she wanted to."

"The terrifying this is that she DOES want to."

The chuckled at the last comment but soon stopped because the stadium erupted in a cheers. The grand announcer had gotten to his podium with his wand pointed at his neck.

"WELCOME ALL TO THE HOLYHEAD HARPIES SEASON OPENER!"

Everyone clapped and cheered as the energy in the stadium reached a new high.

"TODAY'S MATCH WILL BE AGAINT PUDDLEMORE UNITED!"

There was a deafening boo from the crowd.

"PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL AS THEY WALK ONTO THE FIELD NOW!"

The Puddlemore team made their way onto the field as the announcer called off each of the players' names and positions. Soon everyone was on their feet as he introduced the home team.

"AND NOW YOUR HARPIES!"

Everyone screamed and cheered as the all female team way their way to the center of the pitch. Each player stepped foreword and waved to the fans when their name was called. Finally, bringing up the rear because her last name started with 'w' was Ginny.

"AND, YOUR CENTER CHASER AND CAPTAIN, NUMBER EIGHTEEN, GINNY WEASLEY!"

The stadium noises magnified by ten as showed their love for their captain. Ginny beamed and immediately spotted her section. They were hollering and pumping their fists into the air as if they had already won. She smiled and winked while waving to the rest of the deafening crowd. The referee was introduced next and the captains shook hands before mounting their brooms and taking flight. The Bludgers were released, the Quaffle was released, and the Snitch was released last. Suddenly the players were all blurs as the game began. Ginny scored the first goal within 30 seconds of the match starting.

o.O.o

"THERE SHE IS!"

Ginny walked out of the locker rooms to find hundreds of people waiting for her, screaming and cheering, including news reporters. She was immediately bombarded by the blindness of flash bulbs as her picture was snapped from dozens of angles and cameras. Journalists came rushing into her and she was immediately over whelmed.

"Ginny! Ginny! Over here!"

"How did you mentally prepare for the day's game?!"

"Do you feel that you lived up to the title of captain in today's match?"

"How does it feel to break the opening game record for most goals scored by a single player!?"

Ginny looked at the reporters and smiled.

"I would love to answer all your questions in am moment, but right now I would just like to see my family."

She gave a polite nod and shoved her way through the crowd until she reached the other side. She saw her family smiling from the other side of the ropes and sprinted to them. She jumped over the rope and into Charlie's arms. He picked her off the ground and spun her around.

"That's my sis! YOU FUCKING KILLED IT OUT THERE TODAY! Most goals scored by a single player in the opening game? BADASS!"

"Thanks Charlie!"

He set her down and the praises and graduations flowed from her friends and family. She was able to hug everyone and kiss Draco, which was not unseen by the reporters. She talked to them for a while before being interrupted by the anxious journalists on the other side of the rope.

"Ginny please!"

"It'll only be a couple quick questions."

She gave them the 'one minute' finger and quickly turned back to Draco.

"Celebration party tonight. Our house. I invited the team, if you don't mind."

"Of course not! I wanted to throw you one anyway!"

"Great! Invite all our friends too! Ill be there in an 30 minutes or so, I just have to answer some questions for these bloody reporters."

"Okay babe."

She kissed him again and turned back to the men and women with the cameras and notepads.

"Who wants to go first?"

**Party scene happening next chapter and LOT OF DRAMA! :D**


	48. The Party Pooper

**Hey everyone! So for the most part I had mixed opinions on my alternate ending (if you didn't get the proposition don't be offended. I gave it to random reviewers and readers) so here is what I am going to do. I am going to write my original ending as planned. Then, I will write the alternate ending and post it as a separate chapter! YEAH FOR TWO ENDINGS! That being said, unfortunately this fic is winding up and there won't be too many updates left. If anyone has any ideas for the next fic I should write, PM me! ;) Happy reading!\**

The party was already in full swing by the time Ginny got back to her house. Nearly everyone she ever cared about was there and the drinks were being passed around like candy. She could see all her teammates, now out of their Quidditch uniforms and looking gorgeous, her friends from her Hogwarts years, her family, and her boyfriend. It was completely perfect. Hagrid was serving the role as the front door bouncer for two reasons. One, well, he was simply to large to fit inside the house and two, reporters were trying everything they could to get inside and pick up on all the juicy gossip that was sure to be present. It was no doubt that this party was one for the decades as every young, talented, and beautiful witch or wizard was crammed into the humble abode. Add alcohol to the mix and it was every gossip column writer's wet dream. Ginny smiled as she heard Hagrid tell another writer off, his words becoming slurred from his alcohol consumption.

"I TOLD YEH! NO PEOPLES THAT GIN 'AN DRACO DON' WAN!"

Draco came swaggering over to her with an extra champagne glass in his hands. She looked at him suspiciously as he handed it to her. He knew that she didn't drink anymore. He winked at her.

"Sparkling apple juice. As long as you have a drink in your hand, no one will bug ya."

"Ah! I should have guessed it was something tricky like that."

"Well you know…I just like to show off my Slytherin traits every once in a while."

He smirked at her and raised his glass.

"EXCUSE ME!" The music subsided and house gradually quieted down until there were no more conversations to be heard. "I would like to make a toast so raise your glasses high!"

Everyone did as they were told, watching Draco with attentive eyes.

"A toast to the entire Holyhead Harpies team for their amazing throttle over Puddlemore AND a special toast to my lovely girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, for breaking the record for most goals scored by a single person in the season opener! TO THE HARPIES!"

"TO THE HARPIES!"

Everyone drank and the music revved back up again. Ginny beamed as she saw everyone talking and having fun. In the family room, which was closest off from the rest of the house save for one wall, George had started a particularly raunchy game of exploding snap. Ginny snorted as she saw her brother reeling in some of her teammates to join Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, and himself. She walked around the house, thanking everyone for their congratulations until she found the girl she was looking for. Standing next to Neville Longbottom, with her long dark brown hair in stunning loose curls and her hazel eyes shinning, was Aubrielle Song. She went over to the former Ravenclaw and greeted her with a hug.

"Ginny! Absolutely amazing Quidditch tonight! Seriously! You had that game in the palm of your hand!"

"Thanks Aubrielle! Hey, mind breaking away from your boyfriend for a moment? I want you to meet someone."

"Sure!"

Ginny grabbed her hand and started dragging her through the crowd until she ended in the kitchen. There, talking to Charlie Weasley, was the Holyhead Harpies head coach. She was on the younger side, no older than 32, and in deep conversation about the team's one lingering problem. Charlie was listening with intense focus.

"You see, Lily Kirmstock, our current Seeker, is retiring after this year and I am having the hardest time finding a reputable and talented replacement-"

"Coach!"

Ginny dragged Aubrielle into the kitchen and beamed at her brother.

"Hello Ginny! I was hoping I could talk to you privately today! You told me that you knew where I could find Aub-"

"She's right here!" 

Ginny shot Aubrielle foreword and the Ravenclaw let out a sort of giggle shriek. Ginny's coach eyed her before offering her hand to shake.

"Hello! I'm Wendy, the head coach for the Holyhead Harpies!"

"Hi! I'm, err, Aubrielle-"

"Song! Yes I know dear! I've been meaning to contact you for weeks but it keeps slipping my mind."

"You…you've been meaning to contact…ME?!"

"Yes dearie! You see, our current Seeker for the team is retiring after this year and I don't have a back up for the seasons to come. Now, when I went to Hogwarts to scout out Ginny, since Charlie here begged me to check her out, and thank Merlin I listened to him and went; I saw you too. You played Seeker for the Ravenclaw team, am I correct?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"And you also broke the school record in your sixth year for fastest catch by a Seeker, right?"

"Uh, yeah! Yeah I did!"

"You are clearly talented my dear and of all the female Seekers that I have observed over the years, you are easily my first choice. Would you be interested in coming to some training sessions next week and trying it out? I don't want to pressure you or anything but-"

"YES! YES! I would be absolutely thrilled and honored to come and train with you guys!"

Ginny's coach beamed and shook hands with Aubrielle again.

"Then next week. Three o'clock. Come ready to train!"

"Thank you so much! I'll be there!"

Aubrielle gave her a polite nod before bounding away towards Neville to tell him the good news. Ginny smiled at Charlie before looking at her coach.

"Told you she would say yes."

"Well who could say no to a spot on the Harpies after that game we just had!"

Ginny smirked. "Well I'll let you two continue on. I need to make my around to all the guests."

She made her way out of the kitchen and towards the dining room. The table had been removed magically and the new space was used as a dance floor. Ginny felt someone grab her waist and was soon being swept onto the floor by Ron. She giggled as he twirled her, clearly fueled by liquid courage. They danced song after song, surrounded by friends, and Ginny couldn't think about her life getting any better. She felt like she was on top of the world and nothing could bring her down.

o.O.o

Draco was leaning against a wall talking to Blaise when a flash of jet black hair caught his eye. He swiveled his head to see Pansy Parkinson sneaking in the house from the back door. He immediately stiffened up and handed his drink to Blaise.

"Bloody Hell. Not here."

He walked towards the witch with an uncanny amount of anger building up inside of him. How dare she come in here, to a party that's celebrating Ginny's win, and try to mess it up somehow?! Draco was almost inches away from her when a noise made her turn around. She made direct eye contact with Draco and suddenly, without warning, went bolting for the back door again. Draco went streaking after her, wanting to make things clear that she was not allowed to show up here again, and exited through the back door after her. Draco stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the sight before him. He was surrounded. Pansy had her wand pointing at him, as well as Daphne Greengrass and her little sister Astoria. He jumped as the door slammed behind him and turned around to see Theo Nott with his wand raised. He turned back to Pansy.

"Well well. Maybe now you'll listen to what I have to say." 


	49. The Ultimatum

Draco looked around, completely frozen, as every horrible realization about his current situation rushed to his brain. One, he was surrounded. Two, he didn't have his wand; it was locked away in his bedroom. Three, the door was blocked by Theo and there was no way of getting away and four, he was not sober. God Damnit. He looked at Pansy, who had the most wicked smile on.

"What are you doing here Pansy? You aren't welcome and if-"

"If nothing. You have no room to try and talk your way out of this. You are going to listen to what I say and you are going to DO as I say."

Draco gulped, scared shitless of what was to come. But he stood his ground and didn't show any fear on his face because he was NOT about to give her the satisfaction. She looked at the two Greengrass girls before nodding to Theo.

"First, we need to have our little conversation away from the house and any…lingering ears. This way."

She turned around and started marching through the backyard. Daphne and Astoria flanked either side of Draco and Theo kept his wand painfully jabbed into his back. They reached the edge of the large forest that spanned across everyone's back yards and walked a couple feet in so they were just behind the tree line. Pansy turned back to Draco.

"This is where you listen."

Draco did not make a sound or a movement, which seemed to piss Pansy off a tad. Just a tad, though.

"I don't understand where we went wrong. I did everything for you! I was your first friend at Hogwarts. I listened to you complain DAY AFTER DAY about how much you hated Potter and Weasley and Granger! I would sit there and drink in every fucking insult and word! I would spread the rumors that you started and I would laugh along at your jokes and I never complained or asked for anything! I FUCKING WORSHIPPED THE GROUND YOU WALKED ON AND ASKED FOR NOTHING! And then in our second year, when that little bitch came in-"

"DON'T YOU DARE START UNSULTING GINNY IN FRONT OF ME!"

"I'LL INSULT HER IF I FUCKING WANT TO!"

Their yells echoed throughout the forest but no one at the house could hear them over the loud music, conversation, and laughing. Draco had his hands balled into fists but it was obvious that he would not get away with trying to stop Pansy. He was just in a lose, lose situation.

"I can fucking insult her if I want to because she took you from me! She came in and you made fun of her relentlessly! You never stopped bagging on her, calling her poor, or ugly, or dumb. You made her life Hell and I cackled along next to you as you did it…AND NOW YOU'RE FUCKING IN LOVE WITH HER?! It's not fucking fair! I did everything right! I listened! I got rid of the competition! I made you out to be some kind of sodding GOD! I was your date for the Yule Ball! I was the girl who got all the envious looks because I was involved with you! I was destined to be with you Draco! And you have thrown that all away to be with HER!? To be with poor bratty WEASLETTE!? Don't you remember how much you despised her because she was the only girl that constantly handed your arse back to you when you would insult her?! She was the one that whooped you in Quidditch time after time! She was the one that ANGERED you… And now that's all to shit and I don't even matter anymore?!"

"YOU DID MATTER! YOU FUCKING MATTERED PANSY BUT YOU BLEW IT! You became this manipulative bitch who just couldn't be genuinely happy for me!"

"GENUINELY BE HAPPY FOR YOU!? I was happy for you whenever you had a new fucking accomplishment at Hogwarts! Whenever you would brag about another good grade, or all the O's on your O.W.L.S or when you were made Head Boy with me! I WAS ALWAYS HAPPY FOR YOU!"

"THEN BE HAPPY FOR ME NOW! I'm in the best state of mind that I have ever fucking been in! I'm healthy and not hurting anymore! I have an awesome, steady job that pays well! I'm back on good terms with society AND I'm SODDING IN LOVE! A REAL FRIEND WOULD BE HAPPY FOR ME!"

"BUT I WANT TO BE MORE THAN A FRIEND YOU BLOODY GIT!"

Silence. Draco stared intently at Pansy, his chest heaving from yelling. Her face was from anger.

"And since you are so…determined on us remaining friends, I'm going to give you an ultimatum."

"You are in no position to do that-"

"Yes I am. Now listen to me very carefully before I set the Cruciatus Curse on you. I am giving you one last chance to be with me. If you chose not to-"

"Which I do."

"-than you can't be with Ginny either."

She smiled wickedly and Draco's jaw dropped.

"I'm staying with Ginny."

"No…no you aren't. See, if you choose to not be with me-"

"Which I won't."

"- And decide to be alone-"

"I'm staying with Ginny-"

"-I'll kill her."

Draco's entire body froze on the spot and his mouth went dry. He could feel the sweat start to bead at his forehead.

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

Pansy turned and saw a squirrel in the distance, gnawing on an acorn. She rose her wand and the helpless creature.

"Avada Kedavra."

The jet of green line shot at the squirrel and it quickly fell to the ground, lifeless. Draco heart was pounding so loudly in his chest that he swore everyone could hear it. She turned back to him with a smirk on her face.

"So…either you be with me, be alone, or…if you decide to try and rebel…I'll kill your precious blood traitor girlfriend. You choose."

Draco stared at her, completely shocked. He loved Ginny wholeheartedly and he was going to do everything in his power to protect her and keep her safe. If he went with Pansy, he would be a prisoner. She would control him and never let him out of the house and that would hurt Ginny even more than breaking up with her. They only way that she would be safe would be if he decided to leave her and be by himself. It would crush her. He knew that. But it was the only way to keep them both safe. He loved her. He was IN LOVE with her. He had to keep her safe, no matter what. Tears started welling up in his eyes as the realization hit him like a freight train. He had to end his relationship with her and he could never see her again. Ever. He spoke to Pansy, though devastated, with a strong voice.

"Fine. Fine you crazy bitch. You win. I'll end things with Ginny but I will NOT be with you."

A malicious grin occupied Pansy's face. She had won.

"Wonderful. Now…just to make sure you aren't bluffing me, you must do an Unbreakable Vow with me."

Draco nodded his head.

"Alright, fine. Can I at least saw good-bye to her? I think you owe me that."

Pansy stared hard at him.

"Fine. But mention one word of this to her and I'll kill her. Theo will come as witness. You must make it a natural breakup."

Draco nodded his head, turned on his heel, and headed back to the house with Theo at his heels, his wands still settled on his back. He could hear Pansy's laugh echoing throughout the forest.


	50. Time to End it, Once and for All

As soon as Draco was out of earshot from Pansy, he whispered to Theo under his breath.

"When the fuck were you on her side in all of this?"

"When she became my personal shagging servant."

Draco huffed. It didn't surprise him one bit that sex was what persuaded Theo. He had always been thick like that. They walked to the house, Draco's emotions starting to hit him in full. He was about to see Ginny, talk to Ginny, kiss her, see her smile, smell her perfume, and be in her presence for the last time. As he reached for the doorknob, all the old memories came flooding back in hot flashes. He remembered their secret getaways after therapy in the overgrown field behind the towering buildings when it was simply the two of them and nature. He remembered the joy in her face when she made the Quidditch team, when he got his job, when they bought their house, when they could finally tell everyone about them. He remembered the first time they had ever been intimate and the countless times since than. He was going to miss her touch, the curves of her body, the feel of her lips against his, and the moments when they were so lost in passion that the rest of the world became non-existent. Gods he was going to fucking miss everything about her. He quickly whipped away his tears and put on a brave face before swinging the door open and going back into the house. Everyone was still there having a great time, completely oblivious to what had just happened in the woods out back. He passed his friends, all of them enjoying themselves, until he saw the flash of fiery red hair. Ginny was dancing with Ron and he was twirling her around so her hair was fanned out around her. The music slowed and the song changed and Draco took his chance to get her alone. He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Gin, babe, can I steal you away for a moment?"

"Of course."

He grabbed her hand and started dragging her through the crowd, Theo intently watching from a spot a few feet away. At least he still had the decency to give them space for their final moment together. Draco walked into the hallway leading to their master room and quickly spun her around, locking his lips with hers in a searing kiss. Ginny pulled away and smiled, letting out a girlish little giggle.

"What was that for?"

"Just know that I love you Ginny. I love you with every cell in my body and I always will."

She rose up a curious eyebrow and smirked.

"Well Merlin, you know I love you like that too but why are you saying that here and now?"

Draco gulped. He couldn't do it. He couldn't end things. He would just have to be the asshole that left without warning.

"I just wanted to let you know that. I want you to always remember that, okay?"

She leaned closer, sensing the seriousness in his tone.

"Okay."

She grabbed his shoulders and pushed herself against him, kissing him on the mouth. Draco put everything he had into that kiss. It would be their last and he wanted to memorize exactly how it felt, tasted like. He was going to embed it in his brain and hold on to the memory forever. Suddenly Ginny pulled away as someone interrupted them.

"Oi!" Blaise started walked towards them with a smirk on his face. "Your bedroom is right behind those doors. Save us the pain and just take it in there!"

Ginny playfully slapped him on the chest.

"Like you wouldn't want to watch!"

And she galloped back to the party to rejoin everyone. Draco watched her go with an intense pain in his chest. Blaise looked at him funny.

"What's that look for mate?"

Draco looked up at his best friend before sneaking a glance at Theo. He was being distracted by one of Ginny's teammates. Perfect.

"Look. Pansy's got me hostage. Theo is being her thug. She's out in the woods and I'm about to do something drastic to save Ginny's life."

"Hold up…to save her life?!"

"Shhh! Keep it down. Yes. Pansy threatened to kill Ginny if I didn't leave her."

Draco looked up again to see the Quidditch player walking away from Theo. He quickly moved away from Blaise before Theo could see. He called out to Draco.

"C'mon Draco. I still have to have a drink with you."

"Right."

Draco walked to Theo and started walking towards the kitchen with Blaise watching his mouth agape. Draco soon disappeared into the crowd and Blaise tugged the closest person next to him.

"Charlie!"

The Weasley looked furious for being grabbed so hard but softened when he saw Blaise.

"What's up Zabini?"

"We have to get to the forest behind the house right now!"

Blaise started walking after Draco and Theo, pulling Charlie's shirt behind him. Charlie, startled by his sudden sense of urgency, pulled Blaise back.

"Slow down mate. What the Hell is going on?"

"Pansy has Draco out in the woods. She told Draco that she would kill Ginny if he didn't leave her. She has him hostage and his outnumbered. I know Pansy, Charlie. She is going to go back on her word and hurt Ginny anyway if we can't get to Draco in time!" 

"Who is going to try and hurt me?"

Ginny peered from around the corner. Charlie grabbed the both of them and started making his way through the crowd towards the back door with them in his wake.

"Pansy. That bitch has Draco hostage. She's going to hurt him and than try and kill you. We have to stop her."

Ginny, barely processing the words, whipped her wand out and went running towards the woods at a full sprint. Pansy had tried to fuck up her life way to many times and this was taking things to a whole new level. She had to stop her, once and for all, or this would be a never-ending cycle. Charlie and Blaise soon caught up to her, their wands drawn as well. They quickly ran through the lawn and made it to the edge of the woods. Ginny could just see Pansy and Draco ahead, holding arms. Daphne Greengrass was above them, about to start the process of creating an Unforgivable Curse. Ginny came barging through and pointed her wand at Daphne.

"Stupefy!"

Daphne flew back into a tree and was knocked unconscious. Pansy looked at her friend before laying her eyes on a furious Ginny.

"Get your hands off my boyfriend you bitch."


	51. Last Woman Standing

**OKAY FOLKS. Here's the end of my fic…wah! THIS ONE IS THE ORIGINAL ENDING THAT I HAD PLANNED! My alternative ending will be NEXT update! Thank you to EVERYONE that has read this fic and stuck with it from the start. HUGE thanks to my 'super readers and reviewers' which include Johan Kira Expelliarmus, Aikoyu Saotome, Katereena, Nutmeg44, xBlueEyedAngel, foxgodess07, and KaTnIsS-wEaSlY. (sorry if I forgot someone!) You guys were amazing and helped my fic reach over 300 reviews! I can never thank you enough! With that said, here is the final chapter of Behind Closed Doors.**

Ginny and Pansy glared at each other with enough hate between them to power another wizarding war. Ginny had her wand raised, pointed directly at the space between Pansy's eyes. Pansy did not move for her wand, but simply let go of Draco's forearm. She smirked at Ginny and crossed her hands over her chest.

"What did you just say Weaslette?"

"I told you to get your ruddy hands off my boyfriend you sick and twisted bitch!"

"See, now there is a problem with that last phrase."

"Oh really? I think it's pretty clear if you ask me."

"Well except the whole boyfriend part. Draco isn't with you anymore, now is he?"

Pansy sniggered but Ginny did not flinch. Clearly Draco had not told Pansy that he actually never broke it off with Ginny. The red head smiled. This would get under Pansy's skin and Ginny wanted nothing more than to see the oh so sly Slytherin squirm in her shoes. Pansy's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Ginny's grin, but she quickly narrowed them back to concentrate on the witch in front of her.

"He didn't tell you, did he? He didn't break it off with me Pansy. In fact, he did the exact opposite."

"Did the exact opposite?" Pansy whipped her head at Draco, who grimaced a tad. He was still unarmed, after all. And a pissed off Pansy was worse than a dragon that hadn't been fed in days.

"Exactly. He told me how much he loved me, how he would ALWAYS love me and how he never wanted me to forget that. He'll never love you Pansy so why don't you just give this whole thing a rest and move on with your pathetic life instead of trying to ruin mine."

Pansy's face went from a soft pink color, to a deep fuchsia, to a tomato red. Everyone could visibly see the anger creep into her face. She clenched her hands into fists and unleashed a verbal attack on Ginny.

"YOU DON'T FUCKING DESERVE HIM YOU ALCOHOLIC, FAME HUNGRY, WHORE! YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW HIM AROUND AT HOGWARTS, ABIDING BY HIS EVERY WANT AND NEED LIKE SOME PATHETIC HOUSE ELF. YOU DIDN'T EXPECT PROMISES THAT HE DIDN'T KEEP. YOU DIDN'T FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS AT HIS WORST AND WHEN NO ONE EVEN WANTED TO BE AROUND HIM. YOU DIDN'T HAVE HIM TELL YOU THAT HE LOVED YOU TOO ONLY TO HAVE HIM GO AND SHAG A NEW GIRL EVERY OTHER DAY." She ran out of breath and quickly gasped for more air. For the first time, in Ginny's life and in Draco's, she was watching Pansy break down and…cry. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she was letting them fall down her red cheeks without daring to wipe them away. She just kept staring at Ginny with nothing but pure hatred.

"He fucking owes me! He dragged me along for this shit crazy ride and told me that when it was done we would be together! He fucking promised that he we would be together and be happy after we got out of school! Well guess the fuck what?! He didn't keep that damn promise! He fell off the face of the bloody Earth and completely cut off contact with me! You want to know when he started talking to me again? WHEN HE STARTED SEEING YOU IN SECRECY! AND YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I DID!? Like some bloody moron I kept your relationship a sodding secret because I was so far in love that I couldn't see the thing that was right in front of me! I could have exposed you two and ruined your lives! But no. I KEPT IT A SECRET! After realizing HOW THICK I WAS for doing that, I started thinking about how to get him back. And guess what?!"

She whipped her wand out so quickly that if you blinked, you would have missed it. Blaise went to step in front of Ginny but Astoria Greengrass saw that move coming.

"Incarcerous!"

Thick ropes shot out the tip of her wand and wound themselves around Blaise's body. He fell to the ground with a thud and stayed there, completely helpless. Pansy took the distraction as her chance to strike.

"My only option now is to get rid of YOU, Ginny!"

Ginny whipped her head around in time to see three things happen. One, she saw Pansy rear her wand back in frustration. Two, she then saw Pansy begin to mouth the words of the killing curse, and three, she saw a jet of green light emit out of Charlie's wand and reach Pansy's chest before she could get the curse out of her mouth and kill Ginny. Ginny watched as the light left Pansy's eyes and fell to the ground, the life completely gone from her. Charlie ran behind a near by tree and started dry heaving as Draco ran to Ginny. Ginny fell to her knees and started crying uncontrollably. She wasn't sad that Pansy was dead, not at all. She was simply beyond elated that it was finally over. Pansy wasn't going to mess with her life every again. They were finally free from her threatening letters, countless schemes, and vicious attempts to hurt them. Astoria and Theo quickly gathered Daphne's unconscious body and Pansy's dead one together and Apparated away. Charlie, after emptying the contents of his stomach, untied Blaise from the ropes cast by Astoria's spell. Draco cradled Ginny in his arms and waited for her to calm down before saying anything.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up at him through glassy eyes.

"She's never going to try and hurt us again."

"No, she's not."

Ginny could see Draco's eyes water up. She knew that secretly, deep down, he was hurting a little. Pansy, though insane when she died, had been a close life long friend of his. She had been for him time after time and she had been his first. It hurt him to see her turn into the woman that she had and die the way she had. She had been such a genuine person back at Hogwarts. But she was gone now and he and Ginny were safe from her tenaciousness. He held Ginny closer to his chest and kissed the top of her head.

"We're safe now."

"Safe."

"Lets go back to the party…back to our friends and family. Yeah?"

"Please."

The couple stood up and whipped their faces before heading back to the party with their arms around each other. Blaise and Charlie stowed away their wands and followed them into the house that was still full of people who were completely oblivious that someone had just died in the backyard.

**Again, thank you so much to everyone who read this fic! The alternate ending will be out soon because it just needs some tweaking! If anyone has any ideas for my next fic (Harry Potter please) let me know! THANK YOU TO ALL. I love you guys!**


	52. Alternate Ending

**Here is my alternate ending! Which, in case anyone was wondering, was how I wanted to TRULY end it. Cause…I like it a lot. Read on! Still looking for suggestions for my next fic!**

Ginny and Pansy glared at each other with enough hate between them to power another wizarding war. Ginny had her wand raised, pointed directly at the space between Pansy's eyes. Pansy did not move for her wand, but simply let go of Draco's forearm. She smirked at Ginny and crossed her hands over her chest.

"What did you just say Weaslette?"

"I told you to get your ruddy hands off my boyfriend you sick and twisted bitch!"

"See, now there is a problem with that last phrase."

"Oh really? I think it's pretty clear if you ask me."

"Well except the whole boyfriend part. Draco isn't with you anymore, now is he?"

Pansy sniggered but Ginny did not flinch. Clearly Draco had not told Pansy that he actually never broke it off with Ginny. The red head smiled. This would get under Pansy's skin and Ginny wanted nothing more than to see the oh so sly Slytherin squirm in her shoes. Pansy's eyes widened slightly at the sight of Ginny's grin, but she quickly narrowed them back to concentrate on the witch in front of her.

"He didn't tell you, did he? He didn't break it off with me Pansy. In fact, he did the exact opposite."

"Did the exact opposite?" Pansy whipped her head at Draco, who grimaced a tad. He was still unarmed, after all. And a pissed off Pansy was worse than a dragon that hadn't been fed in days.

"Exactly. He told me how much he loved me, how he would ALWAYS love me and how he never wanted me to forget that. He'll never love you Pansy so why don't you just give this whole thing a rest and move on with your pathetic life instead of trying to ruin mine."

Pansy's face went from a soft pink color, to a deep fuchsia, to a tomato red. Everyone could visibly see the anger creep into her face. She clenched her hands into fists and unleashed a verbal attack on Ginny.

"YOU DON'T FUCKING DESERVE HIM YOU ALCOHOLIC, FAME HUNGRY, WHORE! YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW HIM AROUND AT HOGWARTS, ABIDING BY HIS EVERY WANT AND NEED LIKE SOME PATHETIC HOUSE ELF. YOU DIDN'T EXPECT PROMISES THAT HE DIDN'T KEEP. YOU DIDN'T FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS AT HIS WORST AND WHEN NO ONE EVEN WANTED TO BE AROUND HIM. YOU DIDN'T HAVE HIM TELL YOU THAT HE LOVED YOU TOO ONLY TO HAVE HIM GO AND SHAG A NEW GIRL EVERY OTHER DAY." She ran out of breath and quickly gasped for more air. For the first time, in Ginny's life and in Draco's, she was watching Pansy break down and…cry. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she was letting them fall down her red cheeks without daring to wipe them away. She just kept staring at Ginny with nothing but pure hatred.

"He fucking owes me! He dragged me along for this shit crazy ride and told me that when it was done we would be together! He fucking promised that he we would be together and be happy after we got out of school! Well guess the fuck what?! He didn't keep that damn promise! He fell off the face of the bloody Earth and completely cut off contact with me! You want to know when he started talking to me again? WHEN HE STARTED SEEING YOU IN SECRECY! AND YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I DID!? Like some bloody moron I kept your relationship a sodding secret because I was so far in love that I couldn't see the thing that was right in front of me! I could have exposed you two and ruined your lives! But no. I KEPT IT A SECRET! After realizing HOW THICK I WAS for doing that, I started thinking about how to get him back. And guess what?!"

She whipped her wand out so quickly that if you blinked, you would have missed it. Blaise went to step in front of Ginny but Astoria Greengrass saw that move coming.

"Incarcerous!"

Thick ropes shot out the tip of her wand and wound themselves around Blaise's body. He fell to the ground with a thud and stayed there, completely helpless. Pansy took the distraction as her chance to strike.

"My only option now is to get rid of YOU, Ginny!"

Ginny whipped her head around in time to see two things happen. One, she saw Pansy rear her wand back in frustration and two she saw Pansy mouth the words of the Killing Curse.

"Avada Ked-"

"GINNY WAKE UP GOD DAMNIT!"

Ginny started to slowly open her eyes to see Hermione hovering over her, shaking her in an attempt to wake her from her deep sleep. Ginny went to open her eyes fully but quickly recoiled at the light. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"You're hung over Gin."

"Wha? Noo."

Hermione grabbed the empty bottle of wine off the floor and held it in front of Ginny's guilty face.

"Yes, you are! Looks like you downed this entire bottle of wine!"

Ginny sat up straight and shook her head. It was true, she HAD drank that entire bottle of wine after having an absolutely horrific anxiety attack. Hermione came and sat down next to her on the couch. Ginny eyed the clock on the opposite wall.

"Why are you here? I've only been out for a couple hours and we meet up on Fridays, not Thursday."

"It IS Friday Gin. It's one o'clock. How long have you been out? Did you even go to that therapy session?"

Ginny's jaw dropped. "I've been out for 26 hours?!"

"Looks like it. A sudden surge of alcohol will do that to you. Now, did you go to that therapy session?"

Ginny shook her head. "No. I saw everyone there, freaked out, Apparated home, had an anxiety attack, and than chugged the wine."

Hermione sighed and stood up. She walked to the kitchen to start the tea and discard the wine bottle. She called into the other room.

"You need to go next week. You need to force yourself to sit there and take it because, ultimately, it will help you in the end."

"Yeah…yeah I'll do that." Ginny answered mechanically as to not reveal what she was really thinking. All she could think about what the extensive and detailed dream she had just had over the course of 26 hours. She was a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, she broke up with Harry, she stopped drinking alcohol, and…she was sodding IN LOVE with Draco Malfoy?! She shook her head. It had been such a mixed up dream. How could she ever love someone like Draco? He had tormented her and her family all through school. He was a malicious person with a short fuse. He was nothing more than a bully. Then again, she thought back to all the wonderful moments that her mind had created. After getting to know him, he seemed like the perfect person for her. In her dream, he had balanced her out perfectly and complimented her personality. They worked together like a well oiled machine and their love was definitely undeniable. Ginny shook her head again, quietly talking under her breath.

"No. It was the booze. It was all a dream. That could never happen. Never. You're with Harry. You're…content."

She jerked her head up at the sound of Hermione re-entering the room with two steaming mugs of tea. Ginny took it gladly and reassured her once again that she was going to go to the therapy session next week. '_To see if it all really was too good to be true after all._' She added in her head.

o.O.o

Ginny came home the next week after therapy with silent tears running down her cheeks. It had been terrible. Everyone's stories had caused her to break down on the inside but she refused to show it. Most people called her an attention seeking princess since her boyfriend was in the news more than her. When she said she turned to alcohol, people gave her looks as to hint at how pathetic she really was. And…the worst part of all…

Draco wasn't there.

**So there it is. My alternate ending that I wanted to have as the original. Sad, I know. Hope you liked it though!**


	53. Author's Note

Hey everybody! So I just wanted to give another huge thanks to everyone that has stuck with story, read it, reviewed it, followed it, whatever. It means more than you could ever know!

So… I wanted to write this author's note to say that I AM going to write another fic shortly. One of your fellow readers and reviewers (XBlueEyedAngel) suggested that I do a Seamus Finnegan/ Lavender Brown one. I'm going to be honest, I liked that idea right away. I'm not sure about the context or anything yet, just know that there will be a new one out soon with those two character! Author subscribe if you want to know more/check it out once it does come out!

THANKS AGAIN AND I LOVE YOU FANFICTION FAMILY! 3

HepburnHigh


	54. THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL

Hello all! I know it has been a very, very long time but I am making a return! YES YOU READ CORRECTLY DRINNY SHIPPERS! I am writing a sequel to "Behind Closed Doors" for two reasons…

You (the readers) are STILL writing reviews and asking for more even after months and months of the story being completed which makes me so happy.

I'm on summer vacation now with tons of time to let the creative juices flow!

So look out for it soon folks, because it will be here! Subscribe to me to get the update for when it comes out. I'm unsure of the title at this point in time…but I'm thinking it will be along the lines of "Behind Night's Darkness."

Happy Reading!

Xx HepburnHigh


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